You Are Not Alone
by sailorpluto1709
Summary: When Lily O'Shea decides to investigate a local high school about a new drug, she doesn't expect to run into a charismatic new teacher. As the investigation unfolds, the truth comes out. The adventures of Lily and the Doctor bring to light the missing years in Lily's childhood. What is the connection between her and the Doctor? Why is she dreaming of Gallifrey? Shenanigans ensue.
1. Prologue

**AN: Hi, all you fabulous readers! Welcome to my first story! I'm going to warn you early on that I am a fourth-year college student and that I probably will not be able to work on or update this story very often. This is an idea that has literally been bouncing around inside my head for awhile and I wanted to get it down. So, don't hate me if I don't update all the time! I can only promise I will try!**

**This is a story about the 10th Doctor and an Original Character I have created. Let me know what you guys think! I will take criticism (especially considering this is my first story) as long as it is constructive. Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! If I did, well a lot of things would be different :P**

Prologue

It's unusual, isn't it? How quickly your life can change. One minute you're an average 20-something girl from London, making your way up the professional ladder while trying to maintain your sanity, and then the next your flying all round the universe with a madman in a blue box. Oh, I bet I can guess what you're thinking: 'This girl must be nuts! Gone round the bend! Needs medical attention!' But I kid you not, I have seen the wonders of the universe. Our world is so infinitesimal and tiny and so full of potential. The potential for both good and evil and everything in between. It's both terrifying and humbling when you really think about it. It's the same feeling you get when you are lying in an abandoned field outside of London, far away from the city lights, staring up at the Milky Way. All those stars shining down on us from millions of miles away, as if to say that we are not alone. Truly, we are not alone. And soon we will be out there, exploring and discovering. Like we always have, I suppose.

I fear the day that this journey will end. In fact, I get the distinct feeling that it will end soon. I don't know how, when, or what will happen. I just know that my time is coming. I'm terrified. Not for me, I'll get along like I always have. I'm scared for him. I don't want to say goodbye to him yet, not when he so obviously needs me. Granted, he'll never admit it, but I feel it every time we hug, laugh, or cry. It's too soon after her. Her departure left a hole in his hearts that has yet to heal. And she left before the wounds from the others were able to heal too. I don't know how he keeps going, but he does. He shows the best the universe has to offer: he is full of kindness and love, protecting those he cares about and even those he doesn't simply for the reason that they are what he cannot be. But there is a dark side to the light, as always. He can be completely terrifying to those who dare to threaten that which he protects. Even I am afraid of him at times. The one who understands him the most.

Granted, our friendship was kind of forced upon us. I wish it wasn't so, but it's true. My own abilities made it so that we have to rely on each other to survive. He had to confide so much to me because otherwise I would have gone insane looking for answers. I'd like to think him talking to me has helped, but he is so guarded I can never tell. The only time we talk is when the nightmares start up again revealing something else about Gallifrey, or the Time War, or some other calamity that I have no way of knowing about from my own experience. The rest of the time we jump from world to world, headlong into the next adventure. Usually I don't think about it. I just shove these thoughts into the back of my head to worry about until the next nightmare. However, I have a bad feeling. A storm is coming. What that means for the Doctor and I, I don't know. But things are about to change drastically, and I don't know if it will be for the better or for the worst.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello again! You all get another chapter on the same day! Yay! I figured it would be kinder to post another chapter after that ambiguous prologue. Again, reviews are appreciated! If you see grammar or spelling mistakes, let me know. I edit after I type but sometimes I miss things.**

**Disclaimer: I own nada...**

Chapter 1

_'God, why do I submit myself to this torture every day!'_ I think as I jog closer to my destination. It's about 6 in the morning, well closer to 7 and I am jogging to the local park so I can meet up with my mate and have our morning jog/bitch/talk session about anyone and everything. As much as I hate running, he insists that I need to keep up my stamina for the day that another alien race comes and ruins Christmas (or maybe Valentine's Day, we like to joke… well wish, is more accurate) and I need to be able to run for the hills and make it there in under an hour. Why he thinks I need to make it there in under an hour, I don't know. _'As if I could run through London and make it to the outskirts in under an hour anyway! That's completely ludicrous!_'

As much as I do hate running, I love London this early in the morning. There are very few people about, and this time of the year the sun has only just begun to rise. Even though it is getting colder every day, the sunrise makes the early hour completely worth it. Seeing the orange-red-pink sky reflect off the tall buildings is simply fantastic. And watching the sky slowly turn rose-pink to finally that forget-me-not blue is absolutely breath-taking. If only I could actually see the sun. That would make the picture even better.

I look off at Big Ben, newly rebuilt from the alien ship that crashed into it a few years ago and notice it is five minutes to 7. The city is just beginning to wake up and if I don't put on a burst of speed, I am going to be late. I don't like being late for one simple reason: my mate bitches more than a girl does when someone is late. And I just love hearing it.

Note the sarcasm.

With my added speed, I make it to the park with just under a minute to spare. I see him lounging in the grass staring up at the sky some distance away, looking gorgeous as usual. Brown hair that's long enough to hang in his face, blue eyes to match the sky, and one nice athletic physique. Oh, and when he smiles… I melt. Unfortunately for me, he is off the market with a wonderful guy that I love to death and would rather die than hurt him. Then again, I feel the same about Jeffrey, so it just makes for very good times.

As I run up to him I trip over a slightly elevated mound of earth and fall flat on my face right next to him. Oh, yeah, I'm graceful. (Again, note the sarcasm. In all honesty, I'm surprised I haven't killed myself yet.) I groan into the dirt as Jeffrey bursts out laughing, no doubt clutching his sides and rolling around for added effect.

"Oiy! Stop laughing! It's not funny!" I yell out, sitting up in the process. The one good thing about landing in the grass is that I don't have to worry about skinned body parts. I do rub my nose a little though. Hey, I have to add on the sympathy somehow.

He sees right through me and continues laughing. Now he's pointing at me while laughing. That's it, this means war. I jump onto him straddling his stomach and start tickling his sides. He starts to screech like a girl and twist and turn underneath me trying to get away. Tickle torture is the best way to win any fight.

"Okay! Okay! Uncle! Mercy! Anything! Just stop!" he yells, finally giving in after a couple minutes. I'm impressed he lasted as long as he did. I stop the tickle torture and climb off him to let him catch his breath.

"You think you would learn by now," I say, looking down at him. "I win every time."

"I really should not have told you I was ticklish," he pants. "It leads to bad things."

I laugh and sit down next to him while he continues to lay there. It's moments like these that keep me coming to this silly jogging session every morning. Although, with this fabulous start, I'm not entirely sure we are going to get to the jogging. Not that I mind.

"It's usually a good idea to keep your weaknesses to yourself and not give them away so readily, Mr. Whitmore. Especially to your enemies."

"I wasn't aware at the time that you would become my enemy, Ms. O'Shea. After all, I was ten and at that age you were the perfect image of a quiet young lady. Now look what happened to you!" he says, waving his arms about my person.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I say indignantly while sticking my tongue out at him.

"You went barmy," he whispers, then shoots up and runs away from me as fast as he could. Good thing he did, because if he had stayed he would be getting a new bruise on his arm for that one.

"You better run! Because when I get ahold of you, you're dead!"

We chase each other around the park for about an hour without stopping, him taunting me about being faster and me threatening bodily harm if I ever catch him. We finally collapse back where we started once we made a couple laps of the grounds, panting hard. I am too tired to actually follow through with my threats. Oh well, there are other times I could do that. With help and the compelling power of surprise on my side.

"So, have you had any more dreams recently?" he asks after we get a chance to catch our breath.

"Yeah, actually. I had a really odd one last night." I sit up to better be able to look him in the eye. "There really wasn't much going on. Actually there was nothing going on. There were no people around me or anything. Just the scenery."

He looks at me for a moment. "That's not normal. Usually you're dreams have people in them."

"Trust me, I know. That's probably why I am so unnerved by it. But there is something else." I pause to collect my thoughts. He leans in closer, as if his very proximity will allow me to spill all my secrets. Well, sometimes it has. "The scenery… it wasn't like anything I have ever seen before."

"What do you mean?"

"It didn't look like any place I've ever seen on Earth."

He looks at me with growing puzzlement. "What did it look like?"

"Well, for one, the sky was orange."

"Orange? Like sunset orange?"

"No, like a dark pumpkin-like orange. And not like when the sun is setting so the sky looks orange momentarily. Orange as in that was the color of the sky. The sun was directly above me, and there was another sun rising above a mountain range in the distance. It was absolutely gorgeous! But that's not all. The meadow I was sitting in had red grass. Can you believe it? Red grass! And the trees were silver, glinting every time the wind moved them. That was all I could really see of the place, but it was so beautiful!"

I must look like a complete and utter nerd at this point, talking about a place that doesn't exist anywhere near London. I'm pretty sure I have an amazed look on my face as I stare up at our mundane blue sky, thinking of the orange one I had only visited last night.

"Sounds beautiful," Jeffrey whispers, staring at me. "But, Lily, are sure this was a _dream_-dream, or was it just a normal dream? You can have those sometimes too, you know." He pokes me in my side, making me jump a little.

I think about it for a moment before I respond. "In all honesty, Jeff, I've no idea. I've been asking myself the same question since I woke up."

"Weeeellllll," he drawls out, "what is your gut telling you? Your gut is never wrong."

"When it comes to this? Absolutely nothing." I sigh. Usually when I have a dream, I get a feeling with it, a strong sense that what I just dreamed was real or not real. I've come to depend on that. However, the hunch that I have come to rely on just isn't there. I don't know what to make of that yet. "But there is one thing I _do_ know," I say cheekily, looking at him sideways.

"Oh? And what is that, pray tell."

"Something is coming."

"What something?" he ask, slightly panicky. I can't blame him. The last time I said something was coming, London got invaded by a giant, killer, lightening-throwing death star.

"Oh, I don't know. But whatever it is, it's not a bad thing, not entirely at least."

**AN2: So, while I was going through and editing this, I noticed that I have three references to past characters on the show in one of the paragraphs. I didn't even notice I did that. And can you guess what the references are and who they are alluding to? **


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay, I just wanted to spend this time saying that I am not one of those people that is going to follow a strict schedule in updating this story. Once I get a chapter done, I will post it. So, you all get two chapters today! YAY! lol Anyway, thanks for reading and enjoy!**

Chapter 2

After the park I run back to my flat and get ready for the day. It's Sunday, which means I get the joy of being with my students for the afternoon. I started this program at the local high school where I get a group of 20 troubled teens (and anyone else who wants to join) and I get to tutor them. Although, most of the time, we don't do any tutoring. These kids are brilliant, they just have other problems in their life that prevents them from performing their best. We mainly sit around and talk about what's going on in their lives. Or we run around the park and play childish games after a particularly hard week. I mainly started the program so kids who feel isolated and alone can have a safe place to go to every week that contains their peers. I was hoping that they would become friends and help each other during the school week as well, and it seems to be working. I see more and more of them arrive together rather than separately like they did when we started 2 months ago.

Why do I enjoy these group meetings? I actually get to help people. A lot of the time we sit around and play games like tag, red rover, and other such nonsense, which helps to keep the child in us alive. It's during these weeks that I see them healing and connecting to each other again. So many of them have such hard problems that are placed on their shoulders and they don't have the capacity to handle it alone. That is why I started this program. I felt it when I was in high school and not much has changed in the five years since I left. On the weeks that we talk, it's these problems we discuss and that is where the realization comes: they are not alone.

I quickly change and run out of the flat, locking it as I leave. I debate about going to the local pub and grabbing some chips before I meet them at the park. I do love me some chips. But, I decide to forego them as I am already running late. Amazing how one t-shirt can hide for 20 minutes when you are in a hurry. It takes me twenty minutes to walk to the park now that it is noon and the city is alive with the usual hustle and bustle. The only thing I bring with me is my notebook and pen neatly contained in my satchel. I like to take notes of the kids' progress week after week and it is also where I record my hunches and dreams that I receive from them. It helps to make sense and keep things straight when you have 20+ students to look after.

I arrive at the park at exactly noon and am pleased to see that all of my students are already there, talking animatedly about some TV show or movie, or something. So animatedly in fact, they don't even notice I have arrived yet. Then again, I made sure to dress up nice today, so they probably wouldn't recognize me right away anyway. Dressing in a skirt instead of jeans tends to throw people off. I decide to see if I can infiltrate their ranks and slip into the conversation unnoticed. They like to tell me that I look just like a high school student and that I don't really look like a twenty-three-year-old college graduate.

Well, now is as good a time as any to test that theory.

I make a wide loop around them, following the path that runs through the park. Once I am behind most of the group, I sneak up on them and crawl on all fours until I am in the very back of the group, keeping a close eye on those talking on the opposite side of me. Fortunately, one of them is talking so all eyes are on the other side of the circle from where I am crawling. I make it to the very back of the circle and sit on my bum, feeling victorious. Now the tricky part: slowly moving forward and adding my input to the conversation. They seem to be talking about a new show that has started up, a show called Sherlock. The pilot just aired earlier this week and it has made a huge hit with the younger generation. I remember hearing about it, but due to my day job I was unable to watch it. From what they are saying though, it sounds like a show I will have to catch up on.

The position I am in allows me time to simply observe them. I rarely get a chance to see them all together like this, with their guards down, not worrying about impressing me or some other rubbish like that. I spend time looking at each one of them as they talk and analyzing what I feel. Ashleigh, a sophomore this year, is quite excited about the show and is talking the most about it. However, I still sense the sadness underneath her façade and know that her mom hasn't gotten any better. John, who is talking right now, shows skepticism that the show will make it, but he is actually quite excited about it. He is the one who has the biggest walls and is definitely the most freaked out by me. Tyler sits off to the side paying attention quietly, but intently. I look at him closely. I sense unease from him, as if something is troubling him. I make a mental note to pull him aside and talk to him about what's going on. Has the bullying gotten worse?

I do this for each one of the kids present. Most seem in good spirits. These Sunday meetings are the only bright spot in their week for some of them and they are usually in good moods while they are here. Tyler is the only one I sense strong negative emotions from, so he will be my focus for this week. However, there does seem to be some underlying curiosity within a lot of them. I see we are going to have to talk about what is going on at school. Maybe it's just a new teacher or something. But first things first….

"Good afternoon, everyone!" I shout, making several of them jump. I laugh while they look at me aghast. Apparently Mission: Infiltrate the Teenagers was a success.

"Where the bloody hell did you come from?" John yells out.

Even though John is pretty rough around the edges, I know he doesn't mean any harm when he asked that. He hates surprises is all. I smile a big, cheesey smile and say, "Oh, you know, I'm assuming from my mother's womb. You know, John, when a man and woman love each other very much…"

A rowdy chorus of "Oh my god!" and "Ms. O'Shea!" and "No!" and one "Anything but that!" starts up. Many of them cover their ears and stand up, ready to bolt if I continue with that sentence. I laugh and roll onto my side at their faces. They act as if someone was about to throw up on them!

"Oh, come on you lot! You must know about the birds and the bees by now! No need to be embarrassed by it!" I say, grinning from ear to ear and standing up with the rest of them. It's so easy to embarrass them at this age.

"It's only embarrassing when adults talk about it!" shouts Jerry, a cocky Junior with a loudmouth. He has pushed a lot people away because he doesn't really know when to shut up.

"Oh? And I'm an adult now?" I ask, mock offence clear in my tone.

"You're more of an adult than we are," says meek little Sarah, the youngest of the group. She was suggested to my group because she had no friends and was always by herself. I found out pretty early on that she was simply shy and didn't know how to talk to people. But once I cracked that shell, she started becoming more social with the other kids. It won't be long and she won't have to come here anymore, if she chooses anyway.

"Oh, puhleeezzzzz! I still sing Disney songs, have scary movie nights that consist of Goosebumps, and build random forts in my flat! I get the feeling most of you are more adult than I am!" A few of them start laughing, agreeing with me completely. They have seen my antics to know for a fact that I am either certifiably insane or just very immature. "Now, to actually answer the question, I decided to sneak up on you guys and see if I could literally blend in with you all. Apparently I can! Not sure if that is something to be proud of or not, but either way, I can!"

I few of them roll their eyes at me and sit back down, waiting for the session to start. However, I am not having any of that. Not today at least. "All right, you lot, here's what we are going to do. I hope you are all wearing running shoes today because we are spending the first part of today running around and acting silly like the young people we are! Then we'll sit down and you can tell me all about your weeks and what's new going on at the school. I don't believe we have talked about school in a while, unless it was related to social problems. Now, get up! We are burning daylight!" I clap my hands loudly and lead them off over to a large field intersected by the paths. "Now, here are the choices! Red rover or elbow tag. All in favor for red rover?"

Only seven of them raise their hand for that option. "All right, there appears to be a clear winner. What, do none of you want bruised ribs today?" I ask cheekily while they pair off. I get a few glares but mostly some laughter. "Okay then, Kristen? You're it to start off, and Luke? You're the target. Remember, you can't attach to anyone immediately next to you and no shoving! You know the consequences!" I look over to the side where Tyler is currently standing alone. Apparently there are an odd number of students today. _'Perfect'_

While the students get ready for my okay, I walk over to him. "Hey, Tyler? Why don't you and I sit this one out? We can just talk for a little while. That way we can laugh as they all tire themselves out and look completely ridiculous." I whisper the last part so only he can hear me, and wink conspiratorially. He nods in agreement and walks over to a nearby tree while I give the go to the others. Once the game is going I walk over to Tyler and sit next to him in the grass. We watch them silently for a moment before he finally speaks up.

"How is it you always know when one of us wants to talk?" he asks quietly, eyes still on the others running around.

"It's a gift," I reply. It's my standard response when I get asked that question. I'm telling the truth, it is a gift, but most take it as me just being cheeky and drop it. That works for me too. After all, lengthy explanations just aren't any fun.

After another moment of silence he starts talking. "Lily, don't laugh at what I am about to say alright? But I think there might be something wrong at the school."

I look at him thoughtfully for a second. "First off, Tyler, I would never laugh at anything you had to say. Unless of course, it's a joke. Second off, what makes you think there is something wrong at the school?"

"Some of the students, not many, but some…" he trails off, shaking his head. I give him a second. I understand how hard it can be to explain the unexplainable. "They are acting differently. I don't know how to describe it. It's like they aren't really there."

"What do you mean by 'not really there'? Do you mean physically there, like they have been missing school?"

"No, they haven't missed a day of school. More like they're there, but their brain has taken a hiatus from their head. They just aren't there mentally. But the weird thing is, they suddenly become really smart. They can answer all the teachers' questions, even if they were not that brilliant in that subject before." He looks at me suddenly, eyes wide. It's then that I realize that he is not nervous or concerned, he's scared. "Lily, there's something wrong at the school."

I put my arm around him to give him a hug. He needs reassurance now more than anything. "How long have you noticed this?"

"Only the past week," he says, pulling away slightly after giving me a grateful smile. I don't think the boy has ever been shown real affection in his entire life. "I don't know for sure how long this has been going on."

"That's alright." I'm quick to reassure him. Tyler has a habit of blaming himself for everything that goes wrong in his life. "Have you talked to anyone else about this?"

"No, I don't know anyone else who I would trust to tell."

I sigh quietly. Tyler has been bullied so brutally in the past, with no one there to help him or protect him, it's no wonder he hasn't talked to anyone about his concerns.

"Okay, well I'm going to talk to the others too, maybe they have noticed something. We'll go from there, alright?" I look at him in the eye just to make sure he won't lie to me.

"Okay." He swallows thickly before turning and giving me a hug that squeezes the breath right out of me. "Thank you, Lily for always being there for us. You have no idea how good that makes us all feel."

I hug him back just as hard. I know how grateful they feel—I feel it every time I am around them. It's still nice hearing it aloud though.

"Why don't we go get the others and sit down and chat, yeah?" I ask, pulling him away slightly. Once he nods, I stand up, brush the dirt off the back of my blue plaid skirt and black nylons and walk over to the rest of the group. I can tell they are having a blast just from the sheer happiness that radiates off of them. They are also getting tired, though, so I can see we have perfect timing to finish the little meeting.

"Alright, maggots, game's over!" I shout playfully in my "American" accent as they all groan. Apparently little Sarah had been chasing Ben, the biggest guy we have, around for the past five minutes. I seriously wish someone had recorded that; it would have been fun to watch.

They all walk over to where Tyler is still sitting under the tree and wait for me to lead the conversation. I always find that funny. They wait for me to start but I end up throwing the topic of the conversation back to them. You think they would have learned by now.

"Okay, so what's new, guys? Give me the scoop! What's the latest gossip, trend, fad, going around that stuffy old school?"

"Well," Kendra, our group's personal gossip queen, starts up. "We're supposed to be getting a new Physics teacher tomorrow."

"Really?" I ask, puzzled. I don't remember any of the faculty planning an early retirement, or a leave. "Who are they replacing? And what's the new bloke's name?"

"Apparently Mr. Hendrikson won some lottery or something and is taking an early retirement," Kendra answers.

"Aw, but I liked Mr. Hendrikson!" I complain. Which is true. Even though I major in English Literature, I always had a fascination with physics. Mr. Hendrikson was my teacher when I was in school and taught me everything I know about the universe and how it works. He is the sole reason why I own a telescope and stare up at the sky, wondering about the universe. He was also the one who supported me the most when I wanted to start up this little after school group to help the students. He gave me some pretty good advice over the years.

"Yeah, well," Kendra continues, clearly miffed that I interrupted her, "Apparently this new teacher is called Mr. Smith and he starts tomorrow. I've heard rumors that he is absolutely gorgeous!"

Most of the group, including myself, roll their eyes at her. Honestly. She is such a drama queen. And of course she would cling to the fact that the new teacher might by attractive. Never mind the fact that they are getting a new teacher right in the middle of the semester. Actually, now that I think about it, that is quite odd. Usually they would wait to the end of the semester before allowing a teacher to leave.

"Alrighty then, anything else new and cool to report?" I ask, trying to deter Kendra from going into fantasy-land over an unknown teacher.

"Yeah, actually, I heard something really weird the other day," Kevin pipes up. He's usually the quietest bloke out of the group, so I'm a little surprised he offered to volunteer. "Have any of you heard of this new drug called Maxmiphil?"

"Maxmiphil?" I ask, quietly while looking at the others. A lot of them are nodding their heads quietly and few have vocalized their agreement. "What is this drug?"

"Well, it's supposed to be this new focus-enhancing drug. It's supposed to be able to make people focus easier and longer than on their own. It's also said that it can make someone smarter just by taking it."

"What? That's total rubbish!" I say. "A drug that can make you smarter? I highly doubt that. You're talking about a miracle drug!"

"Exactly," Kristen says. "That's why it's all the buzz at school. If it's real and it actually works, school would be so much easier. A few students have even said they have tried it and it works like a dream. They do become smarter, I've seen it."

A few other voices crop up saying the same. Apparently half of them have seen some of their peers become smarter overnight with the claim of taking this Maxmiphil drug. I look at Tyler briefly. This sounds an awful lot like what he was saying about students suddenly becoming smarter than they used to be. Not to mention he looks really nervous. But if this drug is the cause for higher IQ's, is it also the cause of the students' odd behavior? I wouldn't doubt it, but maybe these two incidences aren't related.

'_Wishful thinking_,' a part of me says. And unfortunately, I think it's right.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Okay, I've got to confess: I'm not really the detective sort. I do not make connections, I don't see the underlying truth, I am just a simple girl who likes to read mysteries and pretend I'm clever. I don't even know what I am doing at the moment, but I am just going to wing it, pretend I am Sherlock Holmes, and hopefully catch something that no one else has seen.

Nothing can go wrong, right?

I walk up to the high school in an outfit I haven't worn since I was a student there myself. Holey jeans, tight-ish t-shirt of an American rock band, hair curly and pinned back with a backpack strapped across my back and I look just like any other student milling about the grounds waiting for the first bell. Boy, does this take me back. I stop just outside the gate leading up to the front doors and take a deep breath. This is going to take all of my concentration not to drown and the breath helps me tremendously.

"So, ready for your first day of school?" Tyler asks, sauntering up to me like he's the coolest thing in the world. I smile at his antics. I haven't seen him be this laid back in a long time. Odd, considering I'm usually the laid back one and he is the one who is always tense. I hate role-reversals.

"I don't wanna go to school!" I whine. A few students look over at me and I duck my head, embarrassed. I didn't realize I was being so loud. It's worth it though to hear Tyler laugh.

"Oh, please," he says, rolling his eyes at me, "You only have to be here for one day just to take a look around and then you are back at your nice comfy adult position in the best publishing company in London. You're not stuck here day in and day out."

"Trust me, I wish for the simplicity of these days more than anything sometimes," I respond, glancing back at the high school. "It's amazing how much you hate this place while you are here, but when you get out into the real world you realize just how great it can be."

"Great how?" he asks. I'm not surprised at the hateful tone he uses. After all, this place has been nothing but hell for him.

"Well," I say, carefully. "It's not great for everyone. It certainly wasn't like college, that was way more fun for me. I just miss the problems I used to have here. And to think, every time something bad happened when I was your age, I would think the world was ending. Now, I know better." I shake my head softly and look back at Tyler. "Alright! Enough stalling. Let's get this show on the road! Mission: Infiltrate Student Population is a go!"

He just shakes his head at me and takes the lead up to the school. As I walk past the student body that has assembled so far I can feel their annoyance radiating off of them. _Why does it have to be Monday?_ I can practically hear them thinking it. It takes most of my concentration not to give into the emotion. I understand how they feel more than they could ever know. Mondays are awful.

After the meeting yesterday, Tyler and I decided that it would be a good idea if I could get into the school and investigate. The problem with that is I would need to talk to some students, and if I look like a teacher they definitely will not talk to me. So, we decided that I would dress up like any other student and pretend to be Tyler's friend from a different school visiting for the day. That way, I can attend classes and see these effected students while also getting a feel for what the teachers might know. All of the teachers know me and my weird ways, so if they recognize me (which, in all honesty, they most likely will) they will just ignore me and not give away who I am. After all, I could just be looking for more students to invite to my group. It's been known to happen.

I didn't realize that this would be a test of my control that I haven't had to use in a very long time. You would think that working in an office would cause me the same problems. Fortunately, the office is filled with adults who have their heads screwed on front and aren't hormonal, so I don't have to deal with too much emotional drama too often. High school is a completely different matter. Teenagers just entering puberty, hormones going completely insane driving their emotions and thoughts into a thousand different directions at the same time, dealing with the changes in their body and the changes of the people around them causing love, lust, and everything in between.

It's absolutely fabulous!

Not. I walk through the front door and get slammed in the face by pure hormonal energy. I have to stop for a second to get my head wrapped around it all before I can follow Tyler into the maze of hallways and classrooms. Teenagers crowd around the lockers, gossiping and laughing with one another. A tall boy bumps my shoulder as he darts off down the hall. His panic radiates off of him in waves. He's late for a meeting with some girl he fancies and he's worried he now doesn't have a chance. Two girls walk past laughing loudly. They appear to be the best of friends but they actually hate each other's guts: one of them is having sex with the other's boyfriend and doesn't realize the other knows about it. The fight will be coming soon. Two boys, obviously members of the swim team if their t-shirts are anything to go by, walk by heading off to homeroom. A small freshman boy walks by, feeling a little annoyed that his growth spurt hasn't hit yet, and also intimidated by the other, taller boys around him. Another girl, older, walks past, stressed about her grades. Her mother is pressuring her to have straight A's so she can get into Cambridge and unfortunately it's causing her to lose sleep. That will only cause her health to decline, which will cause her to fall behind in classes, and that isn't an option.

Millions of emotions from only a few sources. And I haven't even made it to the first classroom yet. Oh, it's going to be a long day if I can't get myself to numb it all out.

My dreams are going to be really weird tonight.

Tyler looks back at me after a few minutes of silence and looks at me quizzically. "Hey, Lily, you feeling alright? You look a little green."

I look at him and focus solely on him. If I can hone in on him alone, it will help to drown out the rest of the noise. On the surface he is simply concerned about my well-being. He always was a considerate kid. But underneath it all, there is worry. The hallways are his personal hell if he is alone and he's glad that I am there with him today. My presence will stave off the bullies for another day. I'm glad that I am able to help him, even if it is for one day.

I smile after a moment. "Yeah, I'm feeling a little better. Don't worry, I always feel pretty nauseous in the mornings for whatever reason. I'll be back at 100% by noon!"

He looks at me a minute longer then nods and continues walking. I sigh. I really hate lying to him, but my abilities are not something that I can quite explain. The only person who knows their true extent is Jeffrey and he doesn't understand them that well either. Hell, even _I_ don't completely understand them, and they're _my_ powers!

Fortunately, Tyler gives me the distraction I need and I am able to beat back the onslaught. I can tell the hallways are going to be the hardest, just like when I was in school, but I won't be in them for very long. We walk into his first class and take a seat in the back. Tyler's first period is Physics, which also happens to be with the new teacher. The only one in the school who I don't know. This ought to be interesting. I debated for a while about introducing myself to him before school started, but what's the fun in that? I'll just be the one "student" on his roll call that doesn't exist and see if he picks up on it. I'll introduce myself after class and tell him about my group. Hopefully I can get him on my team and help out with the students I see. I'll also be able to get a feel for his teaching style and give the principal my input as well.

Today is definitely going to be an interesting day.

**AN: So, has anyone figured out her abilities yet? lol Next chapter we meet the Doctor!**


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: Our lovely Doctor finally makes his appearance! I'll just have you all know, that mimicking the way he talks is really hard to write! It took me two days just to get this perfect. *sigh* Anyway, I also want to take the time that I based most of this initial plot off of "School Reunion," so there will be parallels between that episode and what I am writing. No, it is not going to be the exact same thing, but I will be referencing it from time to time. So, just warning you all now. Okay, I'm done. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Me still own nothing. I is sad...**

Chapter 4

I look around the room while we wait, looking at all the posters and such. I am such a space nerd. I have a pretty basic understanding of physics thanks to Mr. Hendrikson and even better understanding of astronomy, physics' sister discipline. When I was young, my grandpa would take me to the outskirts of the city to stare at the stars. I would always dream about what might be out there, a pastime that I still indulge in. I look at all the astronomy posters and smile, remembering when I learned about each subject in turn in this very classroom. I sometimes miss school, simply because it was an excuse for me to learn new things. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate studying and exams and (the very worst) papers, but I love learning.

And, yes, there is a difference.

However, I decided to go the English Literature route once I graduated, rather than pursue astronomy further. I just love reading fiction too much to completely give it up. I continue to keep up with new findings in the world of astronomy, especially considering it was only a few years ago that we truly found out that we were not alone. Suddenly, planet Earth became much smaller in the grand scheme of things. And we were seriously, laughably, miniscule and outmatched. But someone keeps saving us. I refuse to believe that our government had the ability to get rid of those aliens on its own. They were in the dark just as much as the rest of us.

I get up from next to Tyler and walk over to the poster representing the Milky Way with the arrow pointing where the solar system is in its mass of stars and dust. So very miniscule. I must look odd to everyone else in the room, the new girl just staring at a poster, but I don't really care at the moment. It's rare when I have to analyze my own feelings but right now I have to. I usually choose not to think about how very limited I am. Ever since my grandpa showed me the stars when I was 7 I have always wanted to climb out there and explore. Earth was just too small for me and it still is. I see the night sky and can't help but dream about going to the moon, or exploring Mars or another star and its system. And the people I would meet! Oh, I could imagine for days what they could be like. I've resigned myself to the fact that that will never happen; after all, our technology just isn't there. But they can't take my dreams from me.

I get tapped on the shoulder suddenly and I jump about a foot in the air. I hadn't realized I had zoned out that badly. I look over at the clock and notice that class has officially started. 'It's been five minutes? Geez, what happened to the time?' I look over at the person next to me and my heart just about stops. '_Wow. Okay, Kendra was not lying. Not in the least_.'

Well, this definitely has to be the teacher. And wow, is he gorgeous. I think my brain is short-circuiting because I literally can't think of anything to say. He is literally every nerd girl's dream. He is tall, more on the skinny side and wearing a tight-ish brown pinstriped suit. I don't really like pinstriped suits but he manages to pull it off. He has a very boyish face, especially with his thick, brown hair all disheveled like it is. Even though it is a complete mess, it looks so good. The glasses that he is wearing just adds to the nerdy sexiness. But it's the eyes that give me pause. On the surface, they look amused, but they are so old. His are eyes that have seen a lot, more than a mid-twenty something man should have seen.

"Hello!" he says, quite chipper, rocking back on his heels with is hands stuffed in his pockets. He grins very wide while I stare, trying to get my brain back in working order. "What are you staring it so intently, Ms…?"

"Uhh…" I reply intelligently. '_Currently you,'_ my brain offers. As if I could actually say that. I shake myself a little to make my brain kick-start again. "Clearwater. Mary Clearwater," I respond giving him my fake name. Considering most of the student body knows who I am, I thought it would save my investigation if I came up with a fake name. Most of the kids here have no idea what I look like which makes my fake name possible. "And, um, I was just thinking about the size of the universe," I stammer out. God, I sound like a lovesick school girl! Then again, I'm not entirely sure that I'm not.

"Ah," He responds, looking at the poster I was staring avidly at. "Daunting topic, that. The very expanse of the universe is glimpsed through the Hubble Deep Field and yet so unthinkably big when you put into terms of size. 13.7 billion years worth of expansion and it's constantly speeding up. Certainly puts little old Earth in perspective, doesn't it?" he finishes, grinning at me as if he didn't just make me feel smaller than dirt. "Now, why don't you go take a seat and we'll get started."

"Uh," I say again, and glance around me. All the students are staring at us. Well, they are most likely staring at him, not that I blame them. Tyler looks at me and gives me an annoyed face. I was supposed to stay anonymous after all. "Right. Sorry."

"No need to apologize! It's always a good thing to be curious," he says, lightly pushing me to the seats. As I walk back, he continues with this train of thought. "After all, it's this curiosity which led to the discovery of the Americas, the Congo, the first steps toward space exploration. Curiosity is what makes the human race so brilliant! It's that underlying curiosity which allows for new discoveries, never mind the potential consequences! Wait until someone gets to Mars and all of the things they will discover there! Or, which is even more exciting, the exploration of outside the solar system! Oh, what you all are going to discover!"

He turns around from facing the blackboard and looks at all of us with such wonder that I can't help but get lost in what he is feeling. Such wonder and amazement, but for what reason I don't know. That's pretty unusual—I can usually pick up on the reasons behind the emotions someone is feeling, but not with him. I don't really pay much attention to it now though. I have to admit, I'm pretty much enthralled with this man. Sadly, the rest of class seems to be in a kind of haze. The girls seem to be in a love-sick stupor since the man walked in and the boys stopped listening once they walked into the classroom. Hopefully they won't fall asleep on him—he seems absolutely fascinating.

He glances around the class and notices the blank stares staring back at him. "Right," he drawls out, rocking back on his heels and tilting his head back. "Well, then, I am Mr. Smith and I am your new Physics teacher. Mr. Hendrikson has come into some money recently and has decided to retire early. So now you get me!" He walks around the little island set up in the front of the classroom and leans back on the counter with his arms crossed. "Now, because I am just starting and I have not been with you since the beginning of the year, I'm going to ask a series of questions. Anyone is allowed to answer and if you don't know, that's alright. I just want to get a feel for where you are all at. Everyone understand?"

I hear a general sound of agreement come from the students and see some head nodding. Tyler sits up a little bit straighter in his desk. Not surprising: he loves physics. He is eager to prove himself to the new teacher, as well as to me. I've never seen him in an academic setting and he knows that I enjoy physics as a hobby. '_Hmmm, he's trying to impress me. How cute_.'

I sit back in my seat and watch the rest of the students. This is going to be interesting. "Alright, first question," Mr. Smith states, bringing my attention back to him. "Easiest one: What is the process called when a gas turns directly into a solid?"

One scrawny kid in the front of the class shoots his hand into the air like it's a rocket. A few other students raise their hand as well, Tyler included, but not as quickly. Mr. Smith looks at the boy in the front over the top of his glasses and says, "Ah, yes, what's your name?"

"Tim, sir," the boy states. "And the answer is sublimation."

"Very good. On to the next: How come in free fall you feel weightless even though gravity is pulling down on you? Ignore air resistance when answering." Tim's hand shoots up into the air again. Smith glances around the room. "Anybody else?"

I poke Tyler in the side, nudging him to answer. He glances and me and shakes his head. He doesn't know. "We haven't gone over this in class yet," he whispers to me. "I don't know how Tim will know it."

"Alright, Tim," Mr. Smith says when it becomes obvious no one else knows the answer.

"There is no force pushing against you since you are not in contact with anything. Gravity is pulling equally on all particles in your body. This creates a sensation where no forces are acting on you and you feel weightless. It would be the same sensation as if you were floating in space," Tim finishes in a rush. The boy is talking so fast I can barely understand him. '_Kind of sounds like a male version of Hermione.'_ The teacher seems to have understand him perfectly though and is looking at him with an impressed look on his face. Frankly, I'm impressed too. Unless this kid is a science nerd, there is no way he would have known that if the rest of the class hasn't gone over gravity yet.

"Good," Mr. Smith says, looking directly at Tim. "Two identical cars collide head on. Each car is traveling at 100 km/h. The impact force on each car is the same as hitting a solid wall at what speed?"

Unlike before, this question is directed specifically at Tim. I no longer get the feeling this is a class assessment, but an individual assessment of this kid's knowledge. He doesn't disappoint.

"100 km/h."

"An archer pulls back 0.75m on a bow which has a stiffness of 200 N/m. The arrow weighs 50g. What is the velocity of the arrow immediately after release?"

"47.4m/s."

"What is the square root of 1,454,436?"

"1,206."

"Radiocarbon is produced in the atmosphere as a result of what?"

"Collision between fast neutrons and nitrogen nuclei present in the atmosphere."

"Nuclear sizes are expressed in a unit named what?"

"Fermi."

Okay, I'm impressed. This kid is able to answer questions that this class will never even go over. Questions that even _I_ don't know the answer to. And he never stops to hesitate to think of the answer. It's like he has a giant search engine in his head that just gives him the answer whenever he needs it. I look at Tyler and notice the annoyance on his face. Not that I blame him—Tim is taking all the glory at the moment. But underneath it there is that nervousness that I felt from him yesterday. Is this one of the kids he was talking about? I make a mental note to try and talk to Tim after class. Maybe he can tell me how he learned all that.

The other kids seemed to have zoned out by this point and were no longer paying that much attention to what Tim was managing to do. Not surprising considering most kids hate physics and don't mind letting another student give all the answers. And it's Monday at about 8:30 in the morning. Over half are mentally asleep right now. I can sense a general sense of amazement from those that are still paying attention, which is mirrored by me and the teacher as well. I bet he wasn't expecting a student was going to be able to answer all those questions. Hell, even I couldn't answer all those questions, and I took college courses in physics!

I take a closer look at the teacher. He is currently standing in front of Tim with a puzzled/amazed look on his face. I sense those emotions from him, but what really gets me is the undertone of… is that fear? No, fear isn't the right word. More like wariness. But why would he feel wary about a boy no older than 14 that just so happens to be smarter than the rest of the lot? Maybe he has heard about this new drug too. I have to remember to ask him about that when I introduce myself after class.

After the odd start to the class, he decides to bring the class back to focus and asks them where they were at before Mr. Hendrikson left. I really need to talk to this guy. Didn't he talk to Hendrikson before he started to find all this out? Apparently not. But, that's pretty odd behavior for the wizened old man: he would never leave someone hanging like that. Either way, we discover the class had just finished the unit on states of matter and was progressing to different forces, starting with gravity. (Ah, gravity, my sworn enemy.) The rest of the class goes on without any more odd occurrences and the students are let out when the bell goes off. Tyler collects his things and starts heading for the door. Before he can leave though, I grab the arm of his shirt and tell him to wait for me outside for just a moment. He nods and steps outside while I walk up to the teacher sitting at his desk.

He appears to be going over some lecture notes for the next class. I have to be quick since there is only 8 minutes between class periods and I don't want to get Tyler in trouble. "Uhh, Mr. Smith? May I have a word?"

He looks up and smiles wide. "Of course, Ms. Clearwater. What can I do for you?"

I smile in return. That smile is really infectious. Does this guy know just how photogenic he is? _'Focus, O'Shea_!' "Well, I actually wanted to formally introduce myself. I apologize, but my name isn't actually Mary Clearwater. My real name is Lily O'Shea and I am not a student here. Well, no longer a student, I should say."

He looks at me with furrowed brows. "Well then, Ms. O'Shea, if you are no longer a student here, why are you going around the school acting like you are one?"

"Well, I am actually a type of counselor here, for lack of a better description. I started a program at the beginning of the year for a small group of kids from the school that they can go to every week. It's a simple program for troubled kids to go and hang out, talk about their problems and such. The school calls it an outside tutor group, but that's not really what I do. I try to get the kids to open up to one another so that school isn't such a lonely place for them."

"Oh, yeah," he says suddenly, eyes widening in realization. "I heard some of the other teachers talking about you earlier. Apparently you are doing wonders for the kids you have and they were thinking about suggesting more students for you to take under your wing." He looks at me for a quick second then gives me a great big smile. "I must say I was impressed when I heard about what you are doing. You must be absolutely brilliant to come up with an idea like that."

I blush at the compliment. Not too many people have praised me for what I've done so his praise kind of blind-sides me. "Um, thank you very much," I manage to mumble out.

"Well you deserve the praise. But, might I ask you something?" I nod. "Why are you dressed like a student today?"

"Oh, right!" I laugh out. "The main student body has no idea what I look like, and I go out of my way to keep it that way. They know who I am, but I have never actually observed the students formally. I always come in dressed as a student and observe specific people once a teacher asks me to come in. Makes it much more easier to find students that way if they think I am one of them rather than an authority figure."

He nods. "Makes sense."

"Yeah. Anyway, I wanted to ask you a quick question before I leave. I'm not actually here looking for students." At his quizzical look I continue on. "One of my students informed me that there is a rumor going around about a new miracle drug of some sort called Maxmiphil. Have you heard of it at all?"

"Maxmiphil, you say?" he asks while tilting his head back a bit and looking at the ceiling. "No, can't say I've heard of it," he says after a short pause, looking back at me. "What is it supposed to do?"

"It's supposed to be a performance enhancing drug, but for school, not sports. It's supposed to be able to allow students to focus easier and longer. But what has my student freaked out is that it seems these students become smarter overnight. I wanted to come and ask the teachers and some students if they had heard about it and find out what I could about it. For whatever reason, it has my students a little freaked out."

I decided to forgo telling him about how some students appear to have become zombies too. I don't yet know if there is a connection between the drug and these students, but I intend to find out before I confide in any one at the school. I want all the facts before I take any action against the activity.

He looks at the blackboard for a moment, appearing to be thinking about it for a moment. The wariness that I felt from him earlier has come back, only stronger this time. I can't get a reading off him for why he might be feeling wary about this topic. And underneath the wariness is another emotion—I can't quite put my finger on this one though. It feels almost… foreign. He looks back at me after a moment. "No, I can't say that I have heard of this drug, Ms. O'Shea," he responds. "But I will keep my eyes and ears out. I'll look into it from my end and let you know if I find anything."

I smile gratefully at him. "I really appreciate that, Mr. Smith. The more help I can get, the better."

"Oh, none of that Mr. Smith business!" he suddenly says, surprising me. "You can call me John. And between the two of us I'm sure we'll have this figured out in no time, Ms. O'Shea."

"I'm sure we will," I say, backing towards the door. I've been here too long and I might make Tyler late for his next class. I'll never hear the end of that. "It was nice to meet you, John. And please, just call me Lily."

"Lily, it is!"

I wave one last time and walk out into the hallway. Tyler is leaning against the wall next to the door and silently glares at me. Two minutes until the next class starts. Yep, never gonna hear the end of this one.

**AN: So, how'd I do? Did it come across as the Doctor? I have absolutely no idea, so let me know! Pretty please? lol And again, thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: This chapter was a lot harder than it should have been. Oh well. Hope you guys enjoy this! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Suing will be futile.**

Chapter 5

The rest of the morning passed pretty uneventfully. Tyler's second period was American Literature. All the class did was spend the time reading "The Scarlet Letter," so there was no way for me to notice any intelligence differences within this group of kids. The boredom radiating off of this group was enough to drive me nuts. Granted, I don't like "The Scarlet Letter" either, but they took it to a whole new level. I at least understand its literary worth and the importance it shows in the culture of the time period it is based off of. But, that could just be because I'm an English major, so of course I would appreciate this book. These kids could care less. _'God, was _I_ this annoying when I was their age?'_

His third period was World History in which they spent the time in small groups coming up with the historical significance of the French Revolution. Oh, that was fun to watch. These kids wouldn't understand historical significance if it hit them in the face with a chair. But, I kept to my little corner and stayed out of the way. Lunch could not have come fast enough. I'm about ready to bag the whole thing and just go home, but lunch will be an important time for me to talk to some of the other kids. And when I say "talk" I mean eavesdrop.

The bell signaling the end of third period finally rings and we head off to the cafeteria. Tyler's locker is right by the cafeteria so we head there first so he can drop off his things. While we are there, I pay attention to the conversations around me, hoping to hear something about this drug that is circulating around the school. So far, I haven't heard anything about it and if I don't at least get a little information on it before I leave, this would have been a wasted day. I lean my head against the lockers and close my eyes while I listen to the dull roar around me. Being in the hallways with all the other students is still a strain, but I am slowly able to handle it. I am not excited about going into the cafeteria with the entire student population in one very small room.

As I wait for Tyler to finish arranging everything I pick up on a conversation just down the hallway from us. Two girls are walking slowly towards the cafeteria and speaking in excited tones. The blonde girl of the duo pipes up, "You will not guess what just happened in History. Piper basically confessed to being on that new drug going around school!"

The red-head gasps loud enough for me to hear clear on the other end of the hallway. "She did not!"

"She did!" the other one squeals. "Okay, well, she didn't come right out and say that she was taking it, obviously. The teacher was right there! But, she confessed to going to the nurse's office this morning and being given a pill that will help with her tiredness. Next thing we know, she knows all the answers to the pop quiz that was given today and you know how she is with history."

"I can't believe it. Piper got her hands on that pill before one of us? That's just criminal!"

"I know, right? I can hardly believe it…"

I lose track of the conversation as they enter the cafeteria, but that doesn't matter now. I know exactly where to go to get my hands on the pill. Now it's just a matter of getting some.

While I silently plan my next strategy, Kendra walks up and links arms with Tyler. "Hello, Tyler! You will never guess what I just heard!"

"You just heard that Piper got her hands on Maxmiphil and is now the top student in history even though she sucks at history," I guess before Tyler can even speak. Kendra jumps about a foot in the air and looks at me with wide-eyes. Apparently she didn't even notice I was there. '_Heehee, I love scaring my kids!'_ "Hello, Kendra. Nice to see you today!"

"Ms. O'Shea!" she whispers loudly and leaning in closer to me, as if to try and keep the conversation private. "What are you doing here?"

"That's Mary to you while I'm inside this building," I start out, trying to get her to shut up before someone hears. "And I'm just looking for new recruits. I'm assuming some of you will be leaving at the end of the semester and I need an idea of who I can fill the empty spots with while you all leave." I sniff loudly, acting like a parent about to lose her precious child.

"Oh, shove off, _Mary,"_ she says, adding extra emphasis on the name. "You and I both know that is _not_ the truth. Besides, none of us plan on leaving anytime soon. You're stuck with us for the rest of your life."

"Wow," I reply, crossing my arms and looking her up and down. "I wasn't aware you could sneer so well, Kendra. Be careful, or you might scare all the cute boys away," I taunt, winking at Tyler who is uncomfortably sitting in the middle of all this.

"Oh, be quiet, you," she responds. '_Great comeback'_' I think and snicker quietly to myself. "Come on, Tyler, let's go get some chips! I'm starving!"

She drags Tyler off to the cafeteria. He looks back at me and tries to say something to get me to come along. I just wave him off telling him I'll be back later. First I have to go investigate the nurse's office. And then, gorge myself in chips.

The walk to the nurse's office was quiet and uneventful. Almost no one is in the hallways at this point in the afternoon and it is quite refreshing, getting away from the bombardment of emotions that go on in this school, even if it's briefly. The nurse's office is attached next to the office at the front of the school, so it isn't too far from the cafeteria. Hopefully the nurse is on a lunch break so I can infiltrate the office and try and find this drug that she is handing out to the students. If she is there, I can just pretend to be a student and tell her that I am not feeling well and maybe she will give me one to enhance my performance, or whatever. I prefer the first option. I like the thought of being sneaky—makes this much more fun.

Walking up to the office, I notice the door is shut. I knock on the door, praying that there is no answer. I look around while I wait a few seconds. Still no one in the halls. It's kind of eerie with no students around. I knock once more when I get no response after 20 seconds of waiting. When the same amount of time has passed, I grasp the doorknob, look down both ways for good measure, and open the door. I'm actually surprised the door isn't locked, considering it _is_ the nurse's station. The lights are out and I don't see anyone sleeping in the two cots that are set up. I shut the door quietly and turn on the light. I look at my watch and give myself exactly five minutes to look around. I don't want to push it too long and risk having the nurse come back while I am ransacking her office.

I start at the table set between the two beds up against the far wall. After rummaging around in there for a moment, I only find bandages and gauze. Definitely not what I am looking for. Next is the long counter set up on the wall adjacent to the door, the only other place the pills could be located in the room. While I look in the overhead cupboards a thought suddenly strikes me: What if she (I'm assuming the nurse is a she) keeps the pills on her at all times? Then my search will be pointless and I will have to come back and ask her for them anyway. I really prefer that not to be the case. I continue my search, moving on to the bottom drawers once I figure out the top cupboards are mainly gloves, paper towel, and liquid medicine. The first drawer is nothing but syringes, which makes me shudder, and I quickly decide to move on. The second drawer is full of a variety of band-aids. A student has the option of choosing between Hello Kitty, Spongebob, Harry Potter, Transformers, the Peanuts, and many other cartoon characters. I approve of the selection. I grab a small band-aid that says "Ninja fight" on it and pocket it for later. I am so wearing this as a fashion sense, not for any legitimate injury.

I move on to the last drawer before I look under the drawers and into the bottom cupboards. "Jackpot," I whisper when I open the door. This one is filled with pill bottles of all different colors and varieties. Now here comes the tricky part—finding the one I am looking for. I look at my watch and notice I only have a minute left before I have to leave. I start searching through each pill bottle, starting with the clear orange ones then moving on to the other obscure ones. So, far, no such luck. A lot of these are specific prescriptions for students that need to be administered to them by an adult. It's hard to weed through all of these long prescription names and remain focused on my task. That bottle is here, I can just feel it!

The last bottle I pick up is a big, fat, white one with a blue label. The handwriting on it marks it with the word I have been searching for, Maxmiphil. '_Finally!'_ I found it! _'Now, to grab a couple pills and get the heck out of here without getting caught!'_ I unscrew the lid and pop two pills into the palm of my hand. They are little inconspicuous capsules, looking like any other prescription pill a physician might prescribe to someone. As unthreatening as they seem, I still need to somehow get them analyzed… How I am going to manage that one is a mystery to me, but one step at a time. I carefully screw the lid back on, place it where I found it, shut the drawer and pocket the pills. Looking at my watch, I notice I stayed in here a minute longer than I wanted to. Lunch is still in full swing though, so I will at least be able to get something to eat before the second half of the day. I walk over to the door and shut off the light before opening it. I crack it open, stick my head out and look both ways down the hallway. Still no one around, thank God. I slip out, shut the door quietly and head off in the direction of the cafeteria with my prize in hand, er, pocket, and daydream about a very large stack of chips in front me. Maybe I'll even tease some of my kids when I get there.

As I walk I start to think about my next step. _'Well, now I have them. I obviously need to figure out what is in these things. But how am I going to manage that?'_ Suddenly, I realize just how in over my head I really am. I have literally no help in this. Maybe I can get one of the chemistry teachers to help me out. I have no idea if they can actually help me with this. Well, it's worth it to at least ask.

I walk into the cafeteria and get slammed in the face again with the raw emotional energy these students are sending out. How none of the other adults can feel it I will never understand. I take a deep breath and head over to the food line. I grab my chips and a drink and look around the cafeteria. I see my kids sitting off in the far corner out of the way of the rest of the school. I can tell they are having a good time though, if their smiles are anything to go by. Jerry is telling a very detailed story about something and apparently it is highly amusing. I smile fondly, glad they have each other now. I continue scanning the cafeteria and see John Smith sitting by himself off the right side of the room. I frown slightly. 'Why is he by himself?' I look back at my students briefly before making my decision to sit with John. '_Besides,' _ I think as I walk over, '_m__aybe he can help me out.'_

"So, why is it that you are sitting alone, Mr. Smith? Seems awfully depressing," I say, plopping my tray down across from him and taking a seat on the bench. "Especially considering you are the new one here," I continue, popping a chip in my mouth. "I would figure you're the type to try and get to know everyone and everything."

"Oh, well," he says, leaning his head back and taking a look around. "Sometimes the best way to get to know a place is to throw yourself in to the culture. Eat the food, use the wrong lingo, listen to the gossip. All quite fascinating, really." He takes a bite of his own food and smiles wide at me. "Besides, you're sitting with me now. I would hardly call that alone."

I roll my eyes and keep eating the chips. Really, they are so good! "I've got something to tell you about what we were discussing earlier," I finally say once I'm done chewing.

"Yeah? And what might that be?"

I pull out the pills from my pocket and place them on the table in between us. I eat some more of my chips and look at John, gauging his reaction. He stares at them for a minute before looking up at me over the top of glasses. "Is this what I think it is?"

I nod, sipping at my drink, watching him watching me. It's a little unnerving, his stare. He is really hard to read. Usually when I sense a person's emotions, they are pretty straight-forward: someone is happy or they are not, there is no in-between. This guy does not follow the same conventions as the rest of the people I have encountered. In fact, he completely throws those conventions out the window and seems to create his own. I sense happiness, but it is toned down, like he is almost reluctant to feel it. Then there is the pride, which doesn't make much sense. Why would he be feeling pride right now? Going a little deeper, there's also annoyance and wariness. Then even deeper, almost completely covered up by the others is worry and fear. _'He's not afraid for me, is he? We only just met, why would he be worried about me? It can't be for me. He must be thinking of the implications of what these drugs mean for the students. Yeah, that's it.'_

"May I ask how you came by this?" he asks, pulling me out of my analysis. Not that it was much of an analysis anyway. He still hasn't stopped staring at me, and I momentarily forget about my food. His eyes demand that I answer him.

"Well, when I was out in the hallway, I heard these two girls talking about the nurse giving another girl the pill because she was feeling tired. I decided to go check out the nurse's office to see if I couldn't find the pill myself." I shrug, breaking eye contact to look down at my tray. I feel like a small child under his stare and it makes me pretty uncomfortable. His feelings of annoyance and worry are growing the more I talk. I don't understand it. I start playing with some of the chips on my tray as I continue talking. "There was no one there and the door was unlocked. I only spent five minutes looking. I would have left if I didn't find the pills in that amount of time. And if the nurse had been there, I would have simply told her I was feeling a little run-down and hopefully she would have given me the pill herself. I _am_ masquerading as a student today." I look back up at him. I don't know why, but I feel I have to defend myself for my actions. I think it's the annoyance that is starting to radiate off of him in waves. Yeah, that's definitely it.

He holds my eyes once I look back up at him as he slowly reaches over and grabs the pills. "You do know how dangerous that could have been, right?" he finally murmurs. "You could have gotten yourself into a seriously bad situation with absolutely no backup and no plan."

"Dangerous, how? Even if the nurse had been there, it's not like she was going to lock me in the room and hold me hostage. The room locks on the inside and there is a window in case of an emergency."

"There are many ways to put a person in danger without locking them in a room, Lily," he muttered, looking much older than he should. There is a pain in his eyes that runs so deep. I begin to wonder who this man really is, and why his eyes look so old.

We stare at each other for another minute, a silent exchange going between us. He finally breaks eye contact to look at the pills. He rolls them between his fingers, staring at them with narrowed eyes. "They look normal enough," I state as I resume eating my food. However, it tastes like cardboard in my mouth and I seem to have lost my appetite. "They were actually why I wanted to talk to you. I have absolutely no idea of how to analyze those little devils to figure out what is in them and what their side-effects might be." He looks up at me as I talk, understanding starting to dawn in his eyes. "You wouldn't happen to know a way that we can get those analyzed, would you?"

"_'We_?'" he asks.

"Yes, _we_. Whether or not you like it, Mr. Smith, you are officially a member of my detective agency. You see, like you pointed out, I have no back up whatsoever if something suddenly goes sour with this investigation, and I refuse to get my kids involved. Would you be willing to help with my cause and make sure no one is harming these students?" I hold out my hand, sticking my nose in the air pompously. I am perfectly okay with sounding a little bossy right now. Like he pointed out, I need back up, and I refuse to take no for an answer.

He looks at my hand a second longer then grasps it within his own. "Well, Ms. O'Shea, you seem to have gotten yourself a partner in crime."

"Tsk," I reprimand, wagging my finger. "Partner in investigation. No crimes have thus been committed and I don't plan on committing any crimes in the future."

He smiles his 100 watt smile at me. "Alright, partner, first things first. We need to get these analyzed. I will take care of that myself." When I give him a confused look, he explains further. "I have a device that will get the compounds in this analyzed and identified in no time. With that information we should be able to ascertain the side-effects of the drug and determine if it is harmful to the students. After that, I guess we shall see. Oh, this should be brilliant!"

'_Brillliant,'_ I think. '_Yeah, it'll be brilliant alright. And completely fun.'_


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: Okay, sorry for the delay with this chapter. This one and the next one are going to be hard for me to get out. I've hit a major brick wall where these chapters are concerned. And considering I know exactly what I want to happen in them makes it even more frustrating. But, once I get over that hurtle, the chapters should be a little bit more forth-coming. **

**Anyway, this is more a filler chapter than anything else, and I am sorry about that. We'll see the Doctor again in the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy! And please review! I like knowing whether you like it or not! Peace!**

**Disclaimer: *looks for non-existent copyright paperwork* Yep, still nothing.**

Chapter 6

We agree to meet at his classroom after school to discuss the drug. He assures me that he will have the drug analyzed by then. I wonder where he keeps this machine and why he even has it. Maybe he's a scientist on the side? In the meantime, I get the joy of going through the rest of Tyler's classes with him and hopefully I'll be able to find more students displaying the behaviors of the drug. I hope to at least see Tim again so I can ask him a couple questions. The difficulty that I'll have with him is being discrete—I don't want him knowing that I am using him to dig for information about Maxmiphil. I guess I'll be testing my skills at interrogation and subtlety.

Fun.

The next two class periods go by without any incident. I mainly zone out because I have never been versed in math, so I didn't really pay attention to the lecture on probability and there was not much I could do in an Art class but watch Tyler mold his clay. His last period for the day is Computer Programming, and I get the distinct feeling it will be just as boring for me as the former two classes were. Tyler has been kind enough to inform me that Tim is in this last class with him, which is the only reason why I am still here. I will be able to use this last hour to not only interrogate Tim, but to also do some further research on Maxmiphil. Just because it is a drug I have never heard of does not mean that it doesn't exist. I need to find out as much information as I can, if it is available. Hopefully I will be able to find something on it.

Tyler and I walk into the computer lab with little more than a minute to spare. The bad thing about this classroom is that it is his only class that is on the upper level of the school. It takes a couple minutes from his previous class to get to this one. The upper level of the school is reserved for upperclassmen as the lower level is reserved for lowerclassmen, with only gym, lunch, and computers being the only time the two mingle. We walk to the far side of the room and take two computers in the corner, away from the other students. I notice Tim sitting in the other corner as well, not socializing with anyone, staring intently at the computer while computer jargon flies across the screen. I look over at Tyler who is doing the same at this point, consulting his textbook periodically.

"So," I start, looking around at all the students then looking back at Tyler, "what are you all working on?"

He glances at me before returning his attention back to the computer. "Our final project for the class is to create our very own computer program. It can be a game or a basic website. Every Monday we spend the entire hour working on it rather than our typical lecture. It's a tad bit difficult, but it is quite fun."

"If you say so." I look back at my own computer and start the web browser. Might as well get started. I pull out my iPod from my backpack and put it on my "Rock" playlist. I stare at the search engine screen for a moment before typing in "Maxmiphil," and waiting for the results. I decide that I will wait until the end of the hour to bug Tim—I really don't want to make him fall behind on his project, especially one that sounds this big. It's probably a really good thing that I never took this course. Computers and I don't have a very good relationship. Kind of like gravity and I; it's mildly abusive and overall exhausting.

The result page pops up while I am distracted by my iPod and I glance back at the screen. There are very few results up and the information is paltry at best. I scroll through the results, clicking on a few promising links and opening them in other tabs. The first website I clicked on was nothing more than a passing mention of the drug. I did learn that it was a new drug, but nothing more. This continues for the first few tabs. Right when I am ready to bag this whole thing as pointless, I come across one really good article in a medical magazine describing the drug in detail. Maxmiphil, apparently, is a _very_ new drug—it's only 8 months old. It is still in its testing phase, mainly being tested on mice and rabbits in an isolated laboratory in some prodigious school. The hopeful outcome of the drug is that it will be an all new mental enhancing drug to help people who suffer from ADHD and ADD to help with their inability to focus. The article goes on to say that testing has still been too early to tell what the side-effects would be, if there are any. They have noticed that the drug leaves absolutely no trace in the test subjects body and blood stream. So, it is virtually untraceable. Other than this limited information, there is almost no more information on it, other than that it won't be ready for public distribution for another few years.

I continue browsing the results for another ten minutes hoping for more information, but none is forth-coming. I sit back from the computer and just stare at it. The last bit of information is the most troubling to me. If this drug is not ready for distribution—and won't be ready for a long time—then why is the school distributing it to the students? It's obviously not safe for them to be taking and is effecting their behavior in bad ways. The drug is nowhere near ready for human testing and scientists would not test on humans until they have all the data from the animal testing. And they certainly would not test on a student population without at least informing the students or their parents. The fact that this drug is even being given to the students at all is completely out of character. I wonder if the headmaster even knows that this is going on? I may need to confront him about this.

First things first: I need to talk to Tim and then I need to see John again to find out what his scan thingie has found out. Then I can talk to the principal and get this all straightened out.

I look at the time on the desktop and notice there is only ten minutes left in the class period. I glance over at Tyler and notice he is completely engrossed in his project. I take a quick scan of the class and notice that there is a small level of excitement and distraction growing as the clock ticks away, a greater sense of frustration and boredom due to their individual projects, and other emotions boiling beneath the surface due to personal influences. I look over at Tim and decide that it is now or never if I am going to talk to him. I get up from my computer, push in the chair and take a seat next to Tim. I look at his code-covered screen for a few moments before addressing him.

"Hey, Tim," I say, giving a slight wave. He stops typing and slowly turns his head to look at me. His eyes appear bored as he looks at me for a moment.

"Hi," he mumbles. "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, um," I say. I'm momentarily distracted by the girl who is behind me. Her negative emotions are slowly spinning more out of control as the minutes tick by. She has to confront a few people after school gets out and she is not ready to do so. "Sorry, to interrupt but I just wanted to say that I was really impressed with your display of knowledge in Physics this morning. I'm kind of a physics nerd myself and I was wondering what you were studying to gain that knowledge."

He looks at me with such a bored expression I almost think he won't answer. The other students are starting to save their progress and shut down the computers as we speak, talking in subdued but excited tones as they pack up their bags. I can hear the girl in front of me complain to her neighbor about her chores that she has to do. She is completely lying. Her underlying excitement betrays her. She is actually going to go sneak off to snog her boyfriend before she has to be home. The emotions of the classroom— so subdued at first due to their overall task— is starting to grab hold of my thoughts and I have to physically shake myself to keep my focus on Tim. He turns back to his own computer and starts saving his work. "I simply study the given text and research things I don't completely understand on the Internet when I am home. Nothing more."

"So, you don't use any extra books or study sheets? Do you use any study enhancements at all?"

He looks over at me once he is done with the computer, still with the bored look in his eyes. "No. I don't need to."

I look into his brown eyes and really study him to the best of my ability. He appears to be an average student, but there is something really off about this kid, and I can't put my finger on it. I know it's a difference that is glaring me in the face (literally and figuratively), but I just can't think over the cacophony of the other students emotions. Maybe when I am by myself I'll be able to figure it out.

"Okay," I respond finally. "Have a good night, Tim." I get up without waiting for his response and stand in front of my computer. I decide to print out the article I found to show John and then shut down the computer for the day. Tyler is finishing taking care of his things once I grab my documents and walk back over to him. "So," I start, grabbing my own bag while we wait for the teacher to let us all go. "Got any plans for tonight?"

"Yeah, actually," he responds, facing me. "Some of us have decided to go to the arcade and try out some of the new games they just installed."

"When you say 'some of us,' I assume you mean some of the other kids I meet with weekly, right?"

"Of course," he replies, rolling his eyes at me. "You're more than welcome to come along, if you want."

"That's sweet of you, Tyler. But, I can't. I have some things I have to get done before I am able to go back to my flat. Besides, you all will have so much more fun without me there embarrassing you all with my mad gamer skills." I give him my biggest grin while he rolls his eyes at me for the umpteenth time that day.

"Alright, but it's your loss," he says, shrugging his shoulders. The teacher finally lets us all out and we start down the hallway towards his locker. The sheer number of students matched emotions makes me waver for only a moment before I adjust. Everyone is excited for another day to be over and to finally be able to go home. Me included. Too bad I won't be able to leave just yet. It will be better, though, once all the students leave and I won't be subjected to this mental torture anymore. "So, what now, Lily?"

"Oh, well, this is where we part ways, Tyler," I answer, looking at him side-ways. "You go run off with your little friends to your little arcade and I get to go do fun adult stuff, like grocery shopping and going to the bank." I grimace at the end, just showing how excited I am to do all of those things once I am done talking to John. I leave out that part though. I'm not going to tell my kids about what I find out from today. Unless of course they need to know about it.

He laughs at me and gives me a hug when we walk up to his locker. "Okay, then. Well, I'm meeting everyone here so you go do your thing, Ms. O'Shea."

I wrinkle my nose at him. "I wish you would all stop calling me that. Makes me sound old."

He gives me a gentle shove and wishes me a good afternoon while I wave in response. I notice Kendra and Sarah are walking up to him and decide to leave them all alone so they can have some bonding time. This is exactly what I was hoping would happen: they would all learn to lean on each other and become friends, rather than only leaning on me. I'm glad that it appears to be working.

I take a few turns down some odd hallways, watching some of the students as they pack up and head out for their different destinations. The abundance of emotion is slowly deteriorating as I walk farther away from the exits. I welcome the relief. I can finally let go of my weak barriers and just relax. Well, not completely. The only time I completely relax is when I am alone with only my emotions and thoughts to keep me company. There are still plenty of adults in the building to keep me on my toes. Including one odd individual whose emotions absolutely baffle me.

With the printed pages in hand, I walk into the science hallway thinking of the riddle of Mr. Smith.


	8. Chapter 7

**AN: Here's the next one. I promise the next chapter will have more action in it. I hope you all enjoy and please review!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own the Doctor. *sniff* **

Chapter 7

I find when I walk into his classroom, John is missing. _'Great, now I get to entertain myself until he decides to come back.' _I look at his blackboard and decide to start mapping out some of the things I know. I grab the purple marker sitting on the ledge and write Maxmiphil at the very top of the board. On one side I put all of the information that is written in the article, on the other I put my guesses at what the side-effects/results of the drug are. I hardly fill up that little space on the board. There are way too many gaps, especially on the side-effects side. I know that it increases a student's focus (and apparently their IQ) but it also causes them to become… Well, I don't really know. Tyler wasn't too clear when he was describing them to me, so I don't really know how to label it. For lack of a better term I list "robotic" under the side-effects heading. How is this drug affecting the students? Is it even safe? And are these side-effects reversible if they go off the drug? Is this one dosage continuous? I write all these questions down. And then there is the mystery of why the school is distributing an unfinished and untested drug on a student population. No credible scientist would give an untested drug to students without it being completely proven safe. So why is the nurse handing it out like a common vitamin?

Too many questions for such a problem. And it is really starting to irk me. If there is one thing on this earth that I feel really protective of, it's children. A trait I have inherited from my grandparents and their care of me. And this school is seriously endangering its students. This is not okay. '_I'm thinking I'm going to have to talk to the headmaster, or even better, the nurse.'_

I continue staring at the board, trying to glean answers from the words I have written. I'm startled out of my silent contemplation from a tenor voice over by the doorway. "You know, glaring at the board won't give you all the answers." I look over at the thin man who so happens to be smirking at me slightly and give him the best glare I can muster.

"Well, I can certainly try and glean the answers from the board using my infamous death glare," I retort. "It's certainly scared a number of grown men into submission."

"Oh, I'm sure it has," he laughs, sauntering into the room with his hands clasped behind his back. "Sorry I'm late. Had to go and get the results from my scan." He holds out some papers to show he has the results and plops them down on the island in front of the blackboard. I pick them up and look at them while he looks over the data I've collected about the drug. _'This is complete gibberish,'_ I think to myself while looking over the ingredients. _'I hope _he_ at least understands this._' "Where did you find this information, Lily?" he asks, bringing my focus back to him.

"Internet," I respond, shrugging my shoulders. "Took me a half hour to find that little bit of information, but it's there if you know where to look."

"Brilliant," he states quietly, still staring at the board and all the information I have put there. "Well, not completely brilliant considering the overall lack of information concerning such a drug and the complete lack of facts that we have to tackle and all the holes we still need to fill, even with this new information," he says quickly while gesturing to the sheet I am still holding. He buries his hands into his pockets and looks over at me. "So, what do you think?"

I blink at him slowly, not comprehending what he is talking about. _'He can talk really fast when he wants to.'_ He keeps staring at me and it's then that I realize that he is talking about the scan that is still in my hands. "Oh! Um… well, I actually have no idea what this all means," I admit, looking back down at the information. "I'm good with physics, not chemistry and this all just looks like complete gibberish to me."

"Oh! Sorry!" he exclaims while taking the sheet from me and scanning its contents. "Well basically the scanner picked up a long list of different brain growth hormones…" He proceeds to regurgitate a long list of medical terms for drugs and such that I couldn't even dream of reciting myself, and frankly have never even heard of before. I kind of zone out and just stare at him blankly while he recites all these names with an air that I will understand what they mean. I don't. He finishes with a flourish, having been pacing around the room up until this point gesturing randomly when getting side-tracked about some random neutrino or other, and looks at me expectantly. I continue to stare blankly.

"Still sounds like gibberish to me."

He sighs loudly and deflates a little. I think I burst his scientific bubble. "Basically it all means that these pills contain an exorbitant amount of growth hormones that attack the brain, not the rest of the body's muscles. These hormones contain a concoction that makes the intellectual side of the brain expand to the point of repressing the emotional side so that the taker of the drug is able to deduce more easily without being clouded by emotions."

I nod, looking back at the board and eyeing the side-effects side of the board. "So, basically you're saying that the taker of the drug is able to completely suppress emotions and think on a level that is almost a Sherlock Holmes level."

"Well, yes and no," he answers, walking around the island and picking up a marker to add to the board. "The drug has the capacity to both limit the emotional portion of the brain and enhance the intellectual portion of the brain simultaneously. There is no choice in the matter." He circles my description of robots that is written on the brain. "The process is so thorough that the taker is no longer able to access emotions easily and basically becomes robotic, as you so aptly put it."

"So this drug does help with focus and intelligence but with a very serious cost."

He appraises me for a moment out of the corner of his eye while I continue to stare at the word "robot" circled on the board. "It takes away the very thing that makes you human," he finally says, confirming my suspicions.

"But, why?" I mumble, looking at the floor. "Why would the school be feeding this to the students if they know this is the ultimate result?"

He looks over at me fully with a quizzical look. "What makes you think the school knows about the side-effects of the drug?"

"Well," I say, looking at the sheet of paper still held in his grasp. "You said it yourself. The ingredients in the drug are known growth hormones. Anyone who has a computer and a list of the ingredients can probably pick that up right away. It means that whoever created this drug meant to completely reduce the population to nothing more than logical computers with no sense of creativity or empathy." My voice hitches slightly on the last word. This is hitting a little too close to home for me. "Whoever okayed this experiment knew what was going to happen. They knew the consequences and refused to tell the students or their guardians about it. They did not ask for their permission which goes against every rule of experimentation out there. And that just seems a little fishy to me."

He regards me quietly for a moment. I sense a minor case of awe from him, like he didn't expect me to come up with that conclusion so fast. He underestimated me. I mentally preen at the nonverbal praise. He may not have said anything to me, but I know he is impressed, and I am okay with that. I look back at the board, my mental celebration coming to an end. "Is there a way to reverse it?" I ask.

He considers my question for a moment, rocking back on his heels and staring at the ceiling. "Oh, I think it will clear up given time." He glances back down at me from the bottom of his glasses and winks. "As long as the students stop taking the drug, the brain will fix the imbalance on its own. Your brains are amazing like that."

_'Weird phrasing,'_ I think while regarding him quietly. My brain is running a kilometer a minute and I push the thought to the side. There are too many other things to worry about for right now than odd word choice from an equally odd man. "So, what should we do now?"

Before John is able to answer we get interrupted by a dowdy lady wearing sweats and a stethoscope around her neck. She seems to have a permanent frown on her face and she glares at us while we stand there. "I need you two to leave the premises immediately."

I raise my eyebrows at her rude tone and glare at her for good measure. John looks at the clock then back at her, giving her his 100-watt smile. "It's only 3:30. I am tutoring Ms. Clearwater here on one of her assignments. I was under the impression we could stay until 5 if need be."

"Not today, you can't," she sneers. "Bug people are here to spray insecticide around the school. Everyone needs to be out in fifteen minutes. If the little girl needs more tutoring on some stupid assignment than you can go somewhere else. Maybe an arcade?"

My glare grows more intense with every word she says. _'Little girl? Who does she take me for? A push-over? I think not!'_ I'm just about to give her a scathing remark when I feel John's hand on my arm, staying my words. "Alright, we'll leave. Give us a moment to clean up first?"

"Fine," she spits out. "Just make it quick." With that parting remark, she turns on her heel and lumbers down the hallway, looking for other people to scathingly remove from the school.

"Why I ought to report her to the headmaster!" I exclaim while grabbing an eraser and angrily wiping off the board. "The nerve of her! Who does she think she is? The superintendent? I think not!" I continue to rant quietly to myself using more colorful language as I go. I finish wiping down the board and grab my backpack off the floor. John has remained quiet, staring off into space. Something is off with him. There aren't too many emotions radiating off of him—they are all numbed like a person who is in deep thought. Suddenly, a sense of alarm breaks through, although he is quick to hide it. He has just thought of something, but he doesn't want to worry me, which of course makes me more worried than before. "John? Is everything alright?"

He looks over at me and gives me the same smile as he did to the mean woman just a few moments before. "Oh yeah, everything is fine! Now, why don't we meet tomorrow morning before school starts and go talk to the headmaster about what we have found out, eh?"

I narrow my eyes at him. Something is up. He is being honest with what he is saying, but I can sense he is plotting another alternative plan. I wonder what he is planning now and why he doesn't want to include me. "Yeah, sounds look a good idea," I say slowly. "7:15 early enough?"

"That would be perfect." He ushers me outside of his classroom and closes the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then!" He waves and runs off down the hallway. I stare after him for a moment then turn the opposite direction and walk down the hall heading for the exit. One thing is for sure, he is planning something. Well, two can play that game. If there is one thing I wish to make sure of, it's that there are no more of those awful pills in this school. And I am not convinced that talking to the headmaster is going to ensure that they are permanently removed. I need to take care of them myself.

I pull out my phone and type in the familiar number. It rings for a few seconds before I hear the "Hello?" on the other end.

"Hey, Jeffrey! Got any plans for tonight?"


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: Hello, all! Sorry about the delay. You'd be amazed what a boring professor can do to writer's block. I know I said last time that there would be more action, but this story is not going where I thought it was. So, that might have to wait another couple chapters. I hope you all enjoy and please review!**

**Disclaimer: Doctor is still owned by BBC. Lily is strictly mine. At least I own something...**

Chapter 8

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Would you be quiet?"

"But, I really don't think this is a good idea! If we get caught, they can send us to jail!"

"Oh, quit being such a baby! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"What sense of adventure? I don't have a sense of adventure!"

I roll my eyes at Jeffrey's whining nonsense and push open the side-entrance to the school after I made Jeffrey pick the lock. I'm starting to think that it was a bad idea having Jeffrey come along with me. However, he is good for some things, like picking locks for instance. "If you have no sense of adventure, then why did you decide to come along with me?"

He glares at me for the millionth time that night. "Because you threatened to put a snake in my bed if I didn't!" He jumps when the door slams shut behind him. "I want it to be known that if we get caught, I was not a willing participant in this."

"Will it shut you up if I agree?" I continue glaring at him while I turn on my torch.

I look around the hallway we entered to get my bearings, resolutely ignoring my friends' continued whining. His annoyance with me radiates off him in waves and I just smirk. I can tell he's not really scared: he's excited to run around the school. He just wants to annoy me, the jerk.

"Well," I begin, cutting him off mid-rant, "we're down the art hallway. We need to get to the main part of the school so I can investigate the nurses office. Are you going to take the Headmaster's office or are you just going to sit there and bitch all night?" I finally look back at him, quirking my eyebrow.

I see him glare back at me and I know I've won this fight. I nod my head down towards the end of the hall and we start walking. It takes us a couple of minutes to reach the cafeteria because the art hallway is a late addition to the school, so it's farther away from everything else. The Headmaster's office is right across from the cafeteria (that way he can be where most of the students congregate), whereas the office and the nurses office are a couple hallways away, right across from the entrance of the school. Basically the office, the Headmaster office, and the cafeteria make two sides of a square. We both pause outside the office and Jeffrey kneels down to start picking the lock.

"Remind me again what exactly I am looking for," he says, head bent focused on his task.

"Look for anything referring to Maxmiphil," I reply, looking down the hallway. "Anything you can find, even if it's just on a sticky note with nothing else. I need to know if he's in on this or if it's strictly the nurse." He stands back up after successfully unlocking the door and turns back to me giving me a mock salute. "Now," I continue, poking him in the chest, "don't make a mess. Be thorough, but if we can get away with no one noticing we were here, the better. Got that?"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," he mocks, still with his salute in the air. I shake my head at his antics and take my leave. "How long should we be here?" he yells down at me.

"One hour!"

"Alright!"

I walk down the hallway and turn a corner, relishing in the silence. No one talking, I can't sense anyone's emotions, nothing. I cherish moments like these—they don't happen very often—and I allow myself to lower my mental barriers. Granted, it's a little creepy here in the school and that dampens my relaxation just a little. I keep walking down the hallway, flashing my torch around as I go, making sure I am alone. I finally walk up the nurses office and grab the handle. I try to turn the knob and it sticks. '_Damn it!'_ It's locked. _'Well, I'm a moron.'_ I never thought the office would be locked. I need to go get Jeffrey and have him unlock the door for me. I bang my head on the door lightly for my stupidity and turn back down the hall.

As I take a couple steps, a sudden myriad of feelings slam into me. It makes me stagger simply because I wasn't expecting it. I lean against the wall taking deep breaths and just trying to get my mental barriers back up so I don't drown. I slide down the wall until my knees are up to my chest and I rest my head on my knees just focusing on the emotions. Once they're back down to a manageable level, I begin analyzing what I feel.

To put it simply, it's a feeling of awareness. Granted, that's not a very explainable emotion. It's more like a person waking up and suddenly knowing that they are existing. It is more or less the default emotion I assign to people when I just can't read anything else, or categorize it clearly. But it's also so much more than that. The feeling shifts as I sit there trying to figure it all out and sends me reeling again. I sense impatience, hunger, excitement for something going right, happiness for being alive. '_Well that's odd. Did they think they were dead?'_ Just as quickly, new emotions race across my awareness. These are much more subdued, as if they are not quite sure that whatever information they are receiving is correct. Confusion, wariness, stubborn will (yes, that _is_ an emotion), shock, and finally fear. But not the type of fear that someone feels while watching a scary movie. No, this is the type of fear that is all-encompassing, the kind that causes a fight-or-flight response in a person. It's so strong that it causes all the muscles in my body to seize, preparing me for running for my life. I fight back the impulse and try to pull farther away from it all. There is one thing I don't understand: usually when I sense emotions, I can get an undercurrent for why they are feeling the way they are, like earlier during the school hours. But, this time, there's nothing. Just the emotions. That in and of itself completely knocks me on my butt. If I have a reason for the emotion, I can ignore it. If there is none, my own emotions respond, and usually it is not pretty.

I sit there, clutching my legs to me trying to bring my own fear into check. _'Where is all of this coming from? Jeffrey is too far away, and even then he has never felt this strongly, ever. Hell, I don't think any person I've ever interacted with has felt this strongly. So who is this afraid? And why?'_ I lower my mental barrier just a crack to try and get a direction for where it's all coming from. Down. I snap my barrier back up and think about the implications. Underneath the school, there is a basement that can be utilized for Gym. That's where the swimming pool is located as well as an extra gymnasium that never really gets utilized. I pull up my mental map of the school and realize that I am standing directly above the pool, and these strong feelings are coming from directly below me. Now here comes my own personal struggle: do I investigate to see who is down there? Or do I ignore it and focus solely on my original mission of getting the drugs out of here? That fear is still creeping through my awareness and I struggle with myself. I want to know what is causing so much fear in one person. But at the same time, do I want to confront the cause too? I just don't know.

All of a sudden, as quick as flipping a switch, the fear turns to an all-consuming rage. It makes the hair on the back of my neck rise to attention. Now I'm really freaked out. I'm thinking I should just go get Jeffrey and get the hell out of this school. Whatever is going on, we don't want to be here for it.

Someone touches my arm. I let out a very undignified yelp and jump immediately to my feet and stumble a few steps down the hall. I flash my torch in the person's face and immediately relax my shoulders and let out an irritated breath of air. I don't think my heart can take much more of this. Standing in the light of the torch is John, with his arm up shielding his eyes from the light and trying to look at me. He looks the same as he did this afternoon, wearing the same suit as before, except now he has a long brown coat on as well. _'Looks good on him too. That just can't be fair.'_

I lower the light from his face and give him the best glare I can muster under the circumstances. "Did you _have_ to frighten me like that? Or were you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Well it's hardly my fault if I decide to make sure you're alive. You were just sitting there shaking and not responding to your name when I called it out. What did you expect?" He gives me an incredulous look before suddenly looking highly confused. His eyebrows furrow as he looks at me. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I could ask the same of you," I retort, hotly.

"I asked first."

"Your point being…?"

He just narrows his eyes at me and I huff indignantly. "Fine! I'm here with my friend Jeffrey trying to find any info on Maxmiphil in the Headmaster's office and the nurses office while also attempting to completely remove it from the school so it can't affect any of the students. Happy now?" He nods and I sigh quietly to myself before looking back at him. Just as I open my mouth to ask what he was doing here another wave of rage boils up from underneath my feet and I stagger back into the wall. He grabs my arms keeping me from falling on my bum, alarm clearly in his eyes. "God," I whisper, more to myself than to him. "Where the hell is all of that coming from?"

"All of what?" John asks, trying to look into my eyes as I slide down the wall again. "Lily, tell me what's going on with you."

I look back up at him while I struggle mentally to push away the strong emotion. This is seriously starting to get on my nerves. Not only do I now have to fight off the strongest emotions I have ever felt come off from one person, now I have gotten myself into a situation where I have to tell this stranger my deepest secret. You see, only my late grandparents, Jeffrey, and his boyfriend Noell now about my abilities. They are not something I share easily with people considering people tend not to believe supernatural stuff. Even if it is staring straight at them and doing the tango. The last time I tried to tell one of my past boyfriends, he wrote me off as a crack-case, grabbed his belongings and promptly left. Broke my heart in the process.

I look at this man and focus solely on him, which helps to drown out the background noise. All things considered, he is a good man. Well, from what I've seen, anyway. Not only has he helped me throughout this odd school adventure, but he took my word for what was going on in the school without needing proof, agreed to help me eliminate the threat to the student body, and has the ability to show up right when I needed a distraction. And the only emotion I can really feel coming from him is concern for my well-being, which is refreshing from the hot boiling rage going on around us, almost like a blanket to shield me from it all. He has helped me more in one day then some of my closest friends have in the past year.

I look back up into his brown eyes and decide to trust him. Something tells me I can trust him not to ridicule me. "Alright," I choke out, "I'll tell you. But first, we need to go get Jeffrey and get the hell away from this wing. Preferably the cafeteria. I feel like I'm going to drown."

He nods his head, grabs my hand and hauls me to my feet without asking any questions about my final statement. I stagger for a second, a wave of dizziness sweeping over my vision. It clears a second later and then I am practically running down the hallway, trying to get as far away from there as possible. As I get farther away, it lessens in intensity so I can finally think again without its influence over me. I can hear John's sneakers against the tile, keeping up with me easily as I turn the corner and run right up to the Headmaster's office. I push the door open hard enough that it cracks against the wall and nearly causes Jeffery to fall over in a panic.

"What did you do that for?" he shouts at me, holding a hand to his chest and leaning against the desk.

"Come on," I say, ignoring his question. "We're putting this mission on hold. We need to fill in John about my abilities," I point at John while I am talking, who happens to be standing right behind me, "and I need to try and get this headache to go away." I give Jeffrey a meaningful look at this last part and he immediately nods in understanding.

He looks back over my shoulder and gives John a once-over. I can feel my cheeks reddening at Jeffrey's appraisal, terrified that he is going to say something completely ridiculous. John beats him to the punch, though: "Hello! I'm John Smith. Nice to meet you!" he says, in that ridiculously chipper voice. Same hello he gave me when I met him earlier that day.

"Jeffrey Wood, and the pleasure is all mine."

I sigh. Hopeless. The man is truly hopeless. "Can we just go to the cafeteria so I can get my thoughts in order, please?" I say, holding my hand to my temple.

John shrugs and pivots to the cafeteria. Jeffrey walks up to me and continues to stare at John from behind. "Wow," he whispers to me, quiet enough so John can't hear. "Why do I have to have a boyfriend right now?"

I glare at him from underneath my hand, my headache giving a particularly bad pulse through my skull. "A boyfriend you happen to love very much," I remind him harshly.

"Oh, I know. I would never do anything to hurt him, you know that." He looks over at me out of the corner of his eye and I can see the mischievous smirk that happens to grace his mouth. "But what about you?"

"What about me?" I growl out, knowing exactly where this is going and not liking it one bit.

He looks towards the ceiling in mock innocence while I continue to glare at him. "It has been awhile since you have had a boyfriend. And he is certainly cute. And you talked about him quite a bit earlier this evening." He shifts his eyes back towards me, the implications clear without him having to voice it.

"Don't even think about it."

"Think about what?"

"You are not allowed to play Mr. Matchmaker while on a case! Especially if it involves John!" I poke him especially hard on his shoulder and look around the room. I spot John sitting in the middle of the room, waiting patiently for us to come over.

"Why not?" He's whining again. "You two would be so cute together!"

"Okay, first off," I reply, holding my index finger in the air, "that is highly inappropriate considering I just met the bloke today. Secondly," –I raise a second finger—"we are in the middle of an important investigation and we don't need the distraction. And thirdly"—up goes the third finger—"you are an insufferable git if you don't stop trying to get me to hook up with someone! I don't have time for a relationship right now! We've been over this!"

Jeffrey simply crosses his arms in front of his chest and gives me an irritated glare as a response. I wheel back around and walk over to the table John is sitting at and place my clasped hands in front of me after taking a seat in front of him. Jeffrey sits next to me, still looking and feeling irritated as hell. _'Serves him right.'_

"Alright," I start, looking solely at John. "Jeffrey already knows this about me, so I'm only going to be informing you. And before I tell you anything, I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone about what I am going to say."

He looks at me very seriously, probably gauging my own seriousness. "I promise."

I let out a sigh and look down at my hands. God, where do I begin. Well, I suppose the simplest explanation will have to do for now. I look back up into his brown eyes. "I'm an Empath."


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: I had a really hard time writing this chapter. I don't like it, so I may go back and completely change it once I can think of a better way to write this scene. Any feedback will be great!**

**Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine. Damn. **

Chapter 9

I let my confession hang in the air for the moment, trying to gauge his reaction. The last time I told someone this (which was to Noell about a year ago) all I noticed was his complete and utter confusion. Which I couldn't blame him—most people have never heard of an empath, so why should I expect him to be any different? Telepathy is the more common and much more famous sister power to empathy and probably much more useful too. I think it would be so much cooler to be able to read minds rather than read emotions. Then again, if telepathy works the same way as empathy does, I don't think I would trade my powers: it's probably a lot easier to hide that you know what someone is feeling rather than what someone is thinking.

After the explanation I gave to Noell, his emotions shifted to complete disbelief. Again, I can't blame him. After a few short demonstrations though, he was pretty convinced. I believe that this conversation is going to go about the same direction. Jeffrey just sits next to me with his arms resting on the table, ready to intervene and back me up if necessary. Always the protective friend, that is why I love him. I look back over at John. He's sitting much the same way as we are, arms resting on the table, slightly slouched. His head is cocked to the side in slight confusion and he just looks at me. He is a little confused, yes, but it's not because he has never heard the term before. It's more like he is confused as to how _I_ am an Empath. He's not questioning my statement though and there is complete acceptance for what I am saying. I realize quickly that he isn't going to ask any questions, he is simply waiting for me to continue with my explanation. _'Hmmm, acceptance, patience, and mild confusion. That's a first.'_

I take a deep breath and delve back into the lengthy explanation. Hopefully I can keep this somewhat short. "Well, I should probably explain what exactly I can do considering that causes the most confusion to people." At his nod, I keep going. "Basically, I can read and feel other people's emotions. For instance, Jeffrey over here is feeling anxious at the situation we are in, coupled with excitement and a little fear (though he will never admit it), and boredom right now considering he already knows all that I am telling you." At this point I glance over at Jeffrey, who happens to be rolling his eyes at me. He really does hate it when I read him so well. "And yes, you do have to stay here because there is a reason why I dragged you away from the office. So quit pouting." He gives me a really annoyed look while I glance back at John. "Usually from the intensity of the emotion or a certain combination of emotions I can figure out the cause is for them. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Jeffrey is currently annoyed at me especially considering I just caused it."

I get a grin from that and huff from next to me as I giggle. I really do like poking fun at him. "There is another side-effect to these powers though, which also help when I need to guess why someone is feeling a certain way and has also helped with understanding my kids. However, it's really hard to explain, so just bear with me." I look up at the ceiling for a moment trying to get my own thoughts in order. It is _really_ hard to explain.

"Here, I'll take a stab at it," I hear from Jeffrey. I look over at him and wave my hand in a go-ahead way. "Basically if anyone is having a particularly strong emotion, or the same emotion over a long period of time, she can dream about it. Like, say I was feeling depressed and have been for two days or something. She'll go to sleep and dream of my fight that I had with my boyfriend, or dream that my parents died. Basically, she dreams the cause behind the emotion when she can't figure it out herself." He looks back over at me and gives me a lop-sided grin. "She's done that to me a few times and it's really creepy."

"Imagine being the one having the dream," I retort, crossing my arms. I have more nightmares because of this particular ability than I do pleasant dreams. And I have the uncanny ability to remember them all. It really does suck most days. "Does his explanation make sense?"

John nods, looking thoughtful. He's still a little confused, but more curious now. He is still accepting everything I am telling him and he has no doubt that I am telling the truth. _'He must believe I am one trustworthy person if he is not questioning my sanity by this point.'_

"Is there anything I missed, Jeff?" Once he shakes his head, I look only at John. "If you have any questions, now is the time to ask before I shift gears."

"Well, I have a few questions if that's alright."

"Of course."

"How long have you known about these powers?"

I'm a little taken aback by that. That is not usually the first question someone asks. Usually it's_ what am I feeling right now?_ However, considering he is giving me the courtesy of believing me, I will give him the courtesy of being as honest as I can. "Since I was 7 when I started asking random strangers at my grandparents shop why they were mad or sad when they would come in. My grandparents were pretty understanding and helped me figure it all out, and to smooth some rumpled feathers when I wouldn't shut up some days as I got older." I chuckle this last part, thinking of the time when I was nine and I asked why a woman was upset that her husband was cheating on her. I was nine, I didn't know any better.

He shakes his head slightly, smirking at me. "You've had these abilities since you were seven and you haven't gone insane yet?" I smirk back. I'm tougher than I look. "So, if you are an Empath, doesn't that mean that you're feelings change to match those of the people around you?"

I cock my head to the side and think about that for a moment. "Well, not really. I mean, yes, my emotions can get affected by those around me. Really easily, in fact, if I'm not careful. But I've learned over the years to put up a barrier of sorts to prevent my own emotions to be infected. After all, if someone is in a murderous rage, I don't want to fly into a rage also." I look over at Jeffrey as I say this who is looking away from me. Another secret better left for another night.

John nods his head and leans forward towards me. He narrows his eyes at me and seems to concentrate for a bit. I lean away slightly and narrow my eyes. _'What is he doing?'_ "Brilliant," he whispers, almost to himself.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're absolutely brilliant. You have such a massive power that would drive a normal person completely insane. And yet your mental capacities are keeping them completely in check. It's like you have a brick wall between you and the rest of the world so it doesn't control you. And to top it all off, instead of hiding from your powers and pretending they don't exist you are using them to help teenagers. Again, you are brilliant."

'_How…?'_ I stare at him wide-eyed. Don't get me wrong, I'm blushing like mad. I mean, I've gotten praise and appreciation for what I'm doing to help the kids before now, but to be praised like _that_… Well, that's never happened to me before. And how did he know about my barrier? "Funny," I start, still staring at him, "how did you know that my mental barrier (at least the one I envision) is a brick wall? I've never told anyone that."

He just smiles at me and looks back towards the entrance of the cafeteria. "So, why did we need to get away from the nurses office?"

I glance behind me and shiver. The rage is still there, I can feel it. Just the fact that I can feel it from this far away seriously frightens me. I swallow loudly, turn back around and look both at Jeffrey and John in turn. "I think there is someone else here."

"Really? Where?" Jeffrey says in surprise. After all, it's almost one in the morning at this point. We should be the only people in the school for the next few hours.

"In the basement. Just a few minutes ago, before we came to get you, Jeffrey, the most powerful emotions I've ever felt in my entire life crashed over me. It was a mix of good and bad. But all of a sudden it turned to an all-consuming fear, then just as quickly, rage." I look up from the table, which I was staring at up until this point, and look directly at John. "Something is different about this though. It's like my wall doesn't exist with whoever this is. And for whatever reason, they are still there—they haven't moved from the basement. And I can still feel their rage, even though I'm all the way here." I shiver thinking about the pure anger coming from behind and below me.

"Sounds weird."

"Thanks for that astute observation, Jeffrey," I reply sarcastically. I roll my eyes and look back to John. "What are you doing here anyway, John?"

"Oh, the same reason you are, I imagine," is his cryptic reply.

I raise my eyebrow at him and he just winks in response. Yeah, he's not going to tell me anything. "So, what now? I'm not comfortable looking around anymore. Not with that person down there feeling that way anyway. It's way too creepy."

"Oh, well, that's where the fun begins."

"What do you mean by that?" Jeffrey asks, leaning forward. I can feel his excitement. I just feel slightly nauseous.

John smiles wide, stands up, straightens his coat, and holds out his hand to me to help me stand up. Jeffrey stands next to me and starts smiling. "It's time we visit our little friend who seems to be so angry."


	11. Chapter 10

**AN: Hello, all! Sorry this took so long. You would think Winter Break would make me want to write... apparently not. Well, my creativity juices are flowing again and now here's the next chapter. Thank you for all of your support! Please review ideas, criticism, praise, I accept all!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: The Doc is still not mine. . **

Chapter 10

_'I really don't want to do this. Seriously, I don't want to do this.'_ I'm mildly panicking at the moment. We reached the staircase and have descended into the lower level of the school. I'm really not a brave person, all things considered. I freak out over the littlest thing—I can't even kill a spider! But nope, here I am, about to confront a person who has serious anger issues and I can't even block it out. '_Ugh, why am I following him again? I could just leave and let John handle it. He's seems comfortable with all of this.'_

Right, like I could actually do that. And Jeffrey is pretty much glued to John's side now and I am definitely not leaving him behind either. I sigh to myself and hang my head.

We have a few hallways in-between us and the pool area of the school and my mental barriers are being beaten to death already. I'm going to have a serious migraine by the end of this. As it is, the headache that has formed between my eyes is just screaming at me and making my vision blur for a few seconds. And it's only getting worse the closer we get to this person. I don't think I'm going to be able to actually be in the same room with whatever is containing such enormous emotions. As it is, I can hardly stand being in the same building. I am only moving forward by sheer willpower alone.

We turn down another hallway. At the end of this one is the entrance to the locker rooms which lead into the pool. As soon as we turn the corner, my barrier gets pounded like a 3-ton freight train just rammed into it and I stagger into the wall, using it as a support to keep me somewhat standing. I think I hear Jeffrey shout my name, but I'm not entirely sure. I'm clutching my head, trying to keep my brick wall standing under the onslaught. I don't think I can move forward. If I do, it will come crashing down and Lord knows what might happen if I allow this murderous rage into my being. I might attack Jeffrey and John.

Talk about my personal nightmare coming true.

I vaguely feel someone's hands on my shoulders, pushing me down to the floor. I open my eyes ('_When did I close my eyes?'_) and peer up to see John crouching in front of me. Jeffrey is standing off to the side, not sure what to do. I'm still clutching my head when I look back at John. It looks like he's been saying something, but I haven't been able to hear. "What?" I croak out, trying to get him to repeat himself. I listen intently when he does.

"Do you trust me? I can help with this, but you need to trust me and not ask questions just yet." He looks at me with such empathy and understanding, like he knows what kind of pain I am in. Do I trust him? Well, I have no idea. I've trusted him this far and he has proven to be trustworthy so far. Hell, if he can help with this pain, then he can do whatever the bloody hell he wants to do. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold it all back.

I don't trust myself to answer verbally so I simply nod my head. He looks me dead in the eyes and places his hands on my temples. Almost instantly I can feel my wall spring back up. But not only that, it's like there is a complete barrier around my mind, something entirely stronger than anything I could come up with. All the rage I've been feeling gets shoved out of my brain and is no longer infecting me. I can still feel it, but not to the point that I feel like it is going to consume me. I gasp in a breath of air as I look at John. What did he just do?

"There, that should do the trick," he exclaimed, dropping his hands and bouncing back up. He offers me his hand and I tentatively take it, still shocked that I can actually think. "To put it simply, I helped fortify your already pretty sturdy barrier. Well, not really sturdy, more like pretty strong but still needs some layers added to make it impenetrable. As long as I'm close to you, this whatever-it-is can't take over your mind with its emotions and you'll be able to think like a rational creature again. After all, I'm going to need you to face this person, don't I? Better to know if it's going to attack me a couple seconds before it does, right?" He gives a great big smile while I continue to stare at him wide-eyed. Jeffrey is just standing there completely confused about what just happened. _'Who the heck is this guy?'_

He turns around abruptly and starts walking forward. "Come along, slowpokes. Don't want to keep our guest waiting." He turns around to look back at us and winks. "That would be rude."

Hesitantly, I move forward, still too stunned to really understand what I'm doing. He just did something I thought was completely impossible. The emotions that I feel around me are no longer threatening to consume me. They're just there. Yes, the all-consuming rage coming from a couple walls away is still there, but it is no longer so intense that I can't handle it. And, to top it all off, I can sense Jeffrey again too. He's mainly confused over what just happened and concerned about my well-being. _'Good 'ole Jeffrey, always concerned about me.'_

Well, I think I am in actual shock. Great.

"Hey, are you okay?" he finally asks, touching my arm slightly as we enter the locker rooms. I look around curiously. We came in through the male locker rooms and considering I've never been in here, it's a little interesting. Disappointing though. The only difference is that the tiles are blue. Lame.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Perfect, actually." I smile at Jeffrey and jog a little to catch up to John who is already walking through the showers and getting ready to walk into the pool, brown trench coat billowing behind him. Okay, I'm not exactly perfect. I'm actually really nervous about all of this. And the fact that the emotion of the (person? I'm not convinced this is even human anymore) has switched back to fear is not helping. Granted, my fight-or-flight reflex isn't kicking in, but still feeling all of that fear is a little disconcerting.

We walk into the showers and have to abruptly stop, as John has stopped as well, right before walking into the next room. He looks back at us, hands in his pockets, seemingly relaxed even though I can sense he is anything but. He glances between Jeffrey and me and finally looks at Jeffrey alone. "Jeff, you should probably stay here for right now." Jeffrey is about to protest, but John beats him to the punch. "We don't know what exactly we are facing and considering its mental prowess almost knocked our dear Lily out for the count, I think it would be best to keep you out of the line of fire until we have a better understanding of what's going on. Right?" Jeff nods, even though he is massively disappointed. I'm glad John said something. I was going to make Jeff stay behind if he didn't. John then looks at me appraisingly. "You ready to go in?"

I take a deep breath, look at Jeff who nods at me, and nod myself. I can do this, whatever it is. I straighten my spine a little more, head held high, and walk forward. John then grabs my hand and gives it a little squeeze surprising the hell out of me, to be honest. Still holding my hand, he leads us both around the corner into the pool and we both cautiously walk around the bleachers. Oddly enough, the feelings that have been bombarding my mind for the better part of the last ten minutes lessens even more. I think it's because John is staying extra close, and I appreciate it all the more.

I glance around the pool area for a few seconds, slowly inching forward. '_Okay, what is going on?'_ "There's nobody here," I whisper, still looking around. I even look up to the high ceiling and still see no one. "This doesn't make any sense."

"You're not looking in the right area," John whispers back. I look at him and notice he is staring at the deep end of the pool where the water is dark and murky. I give it a cursory glance but still see nothing out of the ordinary. Still holding hands, we both head towards the far end of the pool. John is focused on that area and I am just trying to see what it is that he is seeing. From the way he is acting, there is something there, but I don't see anything. I'm so confused.

"Don't you think it's a little odd," John starts, making me jump slightly even though his voice is still lowered, "that even though no one has interacted with this pool since, oh, eight hours ago, the water is still rippling as if an entire elementary school is in the pool?" He glances at me sideways while my eyes widen. He's right. The pool is rippling like a bunch of kids just jumped in, but nobody could have been in the pool for hours and hours. It should be completely still.

"You're right. But there is no one in the water. We would be able to see them if they were. Are you saying they all got out and now they are hiding? Hiding where?"

"Oh, no. They're still there."

"Huh?"

"There is a race of people that can completely dissolve in any body of water no matter where or what it is, while still maintaining their mental capabilities. Their name is the," at this he lists off a bunch of sounds that contain mainly clicks and guttural sounds that is impossible for me to follow. It kind of sounds like gurgling water. I didn't even know half of those sounds could be said by the human mouth. I'm staring at him while he continues explaining, still staring at the water. "They have lived peacefully on this planet for millennia, even though they are from the planet Ra'jesh in the Andromeda Galaxy. It's understandable considering Earth is 70 percent water and they thrive in it."

"Okay," I say slowly. This makes no sense to me at all. I'm starting to think I've been trusting a nutcase this entire time. "So, let's say I believe that story, even though at the moment, I don't. If they—whatever their name is-have lived here for that long, then why hasn't anyone ever noticed them?"

"Oh, well people have." He finally looks at me, smiling. "Only, you called them by other names, such as Nymphs."

"You mean the Greek nature spirits? The ones the gods and man alike chased after for their beauty and such nonsense?"

He laughs slightly and nods. "Exact same ones. They were so sought after because of their otherworldly beauty. After all, they are aliens." He looks back at the water and frowns. "However, there were some that weren't so friendly to humans. These nymphs, as the Greeks came to call them, turned rogue from the rest, became vicious. They were feared by man for their brutality if crossed. These darker ones were called Maenads."

"Hold on," I say, stopping his story and closing my eyes in concentration. My Greek mythology is a little rusty but I do remember most of the basics of it. "Weren't the Maenads followers of Dionysus? Like his priestesses or something?"

"Yes and no," he responds. "Human Maenads were his priestesses and much more revered. However, the nymph Maenads were feared for their vicious ways if you came across them. They were explained away as the nymphs of Dionysus because he was the god of madness. And these creatures were anything but sane."

Nodding, I look back at the water. "Okay, good history lesson. How is this connected with what is going on now?"

He looks back at me, then back at the water. "That's what we are facing, Lily. The Maenads, if they ever decide to come out and play." That last bit was directed more at the water, as if it was actually going to respond and materialize into gorgeous women at his provocation. Even though this all sounded completely mad, I was kind of expecting the same thing. After all, if there _is_ multiple Maenads dissolved in the water, it would explain the painful amount of fear and rage I had been feeling. That much emotion could not come from one person, after all, human or otherwise.

Suddenly we hear clapping coming from behind us and John and I whirl around to face whoever it is that has sneaked up on us. My heart is pounding in my ears as we face the old lady from earlier that day, the one who was so rude to me and John, trying to force us out of the school. Seeing her again makes me a little annoyed. I'm still miffed that she was so rude to me after all. She continues to clap as she slowly walks closer to us and I can feel John tensing beside me, still holding my hand.

"Looks like you figured it out, Doctor," she says in a sickly sweet voice. "Can't say I'm surprised. You are a legend, after all. Much like my sisters and I."

_'Doctor? Is John a doctor? And what's this about her sisters?'_ I just stand there, willing my heart to calm down, glancing between her and John like I'm at a tennis match. _'Wait. Do they know each other? Well they could, considering they both work here. But she is talking to John as if she has known him a lot longer than a day. I'm confused.'_

"I'm nothing like you and your sisters, Maenad," John says, loud enough for the other to hear. My eyes widen at that. No, it can't be. _'She's not…'_

The woman looks at me and smirks. I don't like the look in her eyes: half gleeful, half crazy. "So, the little girl has no idea what is going on." She looks back at John while my mental hackles rise at being called a little girl again. "Or who she is with."

That gets my attention. I look back at John who has stilled beneath my hand. "What is she talking about, John?" I question, only loud enough for him to hear. My only answer is a squeeze from his hand before he starts questioning the woman in front of us again.

"So, you obviously know who I am so I am not going to go through the usual semantics and waste my breath on you. However, I would like to know one thing." His voice is still light, deceptively so, if his emotions are anything to go by. There is a restlessness there, one that I can't describe. But it is not something that should be trifled with, just like his eyes say that the woman really should answer anything he throws at her. "Why were you administering those pills to the children of this school? What do the Maenads have to gain by testing an unapproved drug?"

The woman chuckles. It is then that I notice that she is indeed the school nurse. I can't believe I didn't make the connection. _'I seriously need to focus right now and be an active person in this mess!'_ She is wearing a stethoscope around her neck as well as scrubs. I didn't even pay attention to that detail and now I'm a little farther behind than John. "It's all simple really," she starts. "The drugs are designed to suppress the emotions of the user and enhance their mental capabilities in the areas of learning and focus. Really, we are doing them a favor."

"How is that a favor?" I retort, a little angry at the way she just brushed it off. "You are robbing these teens of their emotions, something that is vital to being human! You can't just take that away from someone!"

"I don't see why _you_ are complaining," she says, glaring at me. "After all, having people with no emotions would make your life infinitely easier."

I'm stunned into silence. _'How in the seven circles of hell did she know?'_

"Finish answering the questions," John demands. He's trying to take back control of the situation. I take the hint and keep my mouth shut. If he needs my help, I will know.

"I am giving them the pills because it doesn't just suppress their emotions. It siphons them off of the little children and feeds them to us directly."

I furrow my brows in confusion. However, John seems to have a eureka moment. His eyes widen as he suddenly exclaims, "Oh, so that's your deal in all of this! Oh that's brilliant!"

"Huh?" I say again. Honestly, I just cannot keep up with this conversation.

John ignores me for the moment and continues his conversation with the Maenad. "As brilliant as that strategy is, I cannot allow you to continue this course. The children need their emotions in order to function properly in society, in order to truly understand what it means to be human, to grow up. And, as much as I want to help you out, I won't. If you regain your capacity to manifest you will destroy this world, one human at a time. And that's not allowed. Not while I'm here." His eyes had hardened at this point and he is radiating such determination at preventing whatever it is that's going on that I can't help but feel confident that he will do as he says. He will fix this problem. "You get one warning: Stop giving that drug to the kids. Leave this place and go back to the sea where your brethren are and I won't be forced to eliminate you all."

Chills. This man is dangerous. I'm definitely starting to doubt my choice of trusting this man. But, at this point, there's nothing I can do but see this through to the end. I forced myself into the middle, and I can't back out now. My own determination set, I look back at the Maenad just in time to really get scared.

"Oh, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor," she laughs. "We may be afraid of you, and be wary of you. However, we will do as we see fit. Since when has _Maenads_ ever followed another's authority? No… We'll finish you ourselves."

At this, I hear splashes coming from behind me. John suddenly becomes instantly alarmed and tries to push me away towards the wall. It's too late though. I am grabbed from behind by wet, slick arms and pulled down into the murky waters of the pool, hearing John shout my name while my head plunges under the water.


	12. Chapter 11

**AN: Well, here's the next one. And no I don't regret leaving you a cliffhanger last time. ^_^ Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. **

Chapter 11

To be honest, plunging into a cold pool that happens to be 3 meters deep, when you can't swim very well, is not fun. Add to that the fact that there are a bunch of ethereal crazy water nymphs trying to make sure that you stay down and drown just does not make for a very good evening.

Problem One when you are in a swimming pool fighting for your life: make sure your enemy can't dissolve into water and thus you can't actually punch them. Try as I might to retaliate, every time I think I may actually have gotten a hold on them, they keep getting away. So, while they can get a hold on me, I can't actually get a hold on them. As it is, I think they are pulling me farther down from the surface and I'm starting to panic. Due to my abrupt entry into the pool, I wasn't able to get a good gulp of air. I really don't know how much longer I can hold my breath. Hence Problem Two: make sure you can hold your breath for long periods of time.

As I'm being dragged down deeper into the pool (kicking and flailing the whole way down), the crazy alien women are appearing in front of me with a maniacal smile on their blue-ish, scaly faces, and then disappearing again. I can't tell how many there are, but they are sure happy they were able to bring me down here. I feel many hands on me, some holding my arms and legs, others grabbing my shirt or my hair. No matter how hard I fight back, I don't gain any ground. _'What am I going to do? I have to get out of here or I'll die!'_

I can't hold my breath for much longer, so I start trying to fight the hands that I can feel that are on me. I scratch at them and even try biting another that happens to be near my face. All I get for my efforts is evil laughter that is swirling around my head. All of my attacks just seem to pass right through them. There is nothing I can do. _'I can't die like this!'_

I feel the bottom of the pool underneath my feet right when I can't hold my breath any longer. My body tries to suck in an air of breath but all that comes in is water. _'I can't believe it, I'm actually going to die. At the hands of some stupid mythical aliens from another world.'_ My body is jerking, trying to get some way to get away from my assailants and get to the surface. Nothing works. My vision is going black at the edges. '_Well, this sucks.'_ I can hear the alien women laughing at me as my body stills and I finally close my eyes, surrendering to my fate. _'I really hope John is okay.'_

_...O..._

Pain. That's all I feel. So much pain in my chest and throat. _'What the hell happened?'_ My coughing (well, hacking is probably a more accurate word) is so violent I'm barely able to get air into my lungs, which feel like they are on fire. I can feel tears streaming from my eyes, no doubt caused from the hacking and attempt at gasping. As I'm coughing, everything comes back to me. '_I almost died from a bunch of sea nymphs. Wow, that is just lame.'_ Then I remember John. My eyes fly open and I look around almost desperately to try and find him. I immediately notice Jeffrey, who is kneeling beside me, half supporting me while I hack up a lung. John is half way down the bottom of the pool (where I'm lying apparently) running towards us with a weird, wand-like glowy thing in his hand. It looks kind of like a flashlight, but it's way too narrow to really be a flashlight, and it's blue in color. Oh well, I'll worry about it later.

He skids (yes, skids. It's very slippery at the bottom of the pool) to a halt next to Jeffrey right when I get my coughing under control. I'm just taking deep breaths while closing my eyes. Almost dying takes a lot out of a person.

"Lily." It's John. _'Hmmm. He sounds so worried.'_ "Are you alright? Did they hurt you in any way?"

"You mean." I have to stop to cough. My poor throat is so abused. "You mean, other than the fact that they almost killed me? No, I'm just peachy."

Jeffrey laughs slightly and helps me sit up. I'm such a mess right now. Now that I've got my bearings and my breathing under control, the shaking is now starting up. That just seriously freaked me out. Not only did I almost just die, but I'm also soaking wet in a cold room. Now, I just want some clean and warm clothes, hot tea, and my bed. That's all.

Unfortunately, I don't think that's the plan for me. "What exactly happened? I thought I was dead."

"Well, you were," Jeffrey responds helpfully. I glare at him, hopefully getting the message across. I don't think I can handle his snarkiness right now. He holds his hands up in surrender continuing, "Well, you were under for just over five minutes. It took my forever to get you breathing again."

I grimace, understanding just what he had to do to get me breathing again. Hopefully that will never have to happen again. Well, on to the next mystery. "So, why are we on the bottom of the pool? Where did all the water go? And the nasty alien sea people?"

Jeff just shrugs and looks over at John. "I don't know what happened to the water. All I know is I heard screaming and came running. I saw you under the water and just dived in. Not even two seconds later, the water started to drain out. Was there nasty alien sea people? Because I didn't see any."

John doesn't appear to be paying too much attention. His eyes keep darting from me to the drain in the middle of the pool, to the door. I'm assuming that's where Creepy Nurse (as I have now dubbed her) ran off to. "John?" I say softly, trying to get his attention back to the here-and-now.

His brown eyes dart back to me. He looks so mad. Hell, I can feel it roll off him in waves. I just don't understand the reluctance that is also there. He is just a bag of contradictions. Although, he is just as wet as Jeffrey and I, so I'm guessing he had to jump in the pool too. Or maybe he was shoved in like me. I don't know. "We should get moving. I have a safe place here in the school where we can go and talk without being under attack."

"Are we going to be attacked?" I don't need to see the look he gives Jeffrey. He is sure that we will, so I struggle to pull myself up into a vertical position to get moving. It's proving to be a tad bit difficult because I am shaking so badly. _'Ugh, I thought I was tougher than this.'_ Jeffrey takes one look at me and pulls me onto his back, like we used to do as kids.

"Thanks, Jeff." I put my head on his shoulder and try to keep my own emotions in check. Not only can I feel remnants of Jeff's panic, but my own is trying to choke me. I can't break down right now. After all, those things are still out there and we need to try and get them out of the school before the night is over. Jeff is warm and my shaking slowly subsides while I take meditative breaths. '_I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.'_

I look up after a few minutes and notice we are still downstairs. John is leading us towards a service hallway that only the janitors use and I notice that I've never been down this way before. _'Hmm, I wonder where he's taking us?'_ I drop my head back down and decide not to worry about it. Maybe I can take a mini nap? Surprisingly, almost dying takes a lot out of you. My throat still kills and talking is almost painful. My muscles are really sore and weak. I could probably stand on my own if I had to, but I don't think walking or running would be wise yet. I'm absolutely freezing cold and the only reason I'm not shaking like a leaf is because I am plastered to Jeffrey's back. He always seems to be radiating heat. I get the feeling I am now officially useless on this mission unless I suddenly make a 180 in recovery. '_Getting out of these sopping wet clothes would be really helpful.'_

I look up once again when Jeffrey comes to a sudden, jerking stop. In front of us is a blue police service box. My eyebrows furrow as I stare at it. I haven't seen one of those since I was a little girl when my grandpa pointed it out to me. Granted, the one I saw was an old relic and clearly fading away in the elements, not being used. This one looks nothing like the one I saw. Still a vibrant blue with the sign of instructions plastered on one of the doors. John is standing in front of it. He looks like he is unlocking it with a key he pulled out of his coat pocket.

"Um," Jeffrey starts, glancing skeptically at the police box. "You don't actually think all three of us will fit in there, right?"

After fitting the key into the lock, John looks back at us and smirks. "Oh, she'll hold all of us. Don't you worry about that." At that, he opens the door and swiftly walks inside. I glance at Jeffrey's profile and nudge him with my leg. We don't have much of a choice. He sighs and walks forward.

"There is no way we are going to fit in there. Absolutely no way."

Well, I can't say I disagree with him. Jeff pulls on the still slightly ajar door and we get a full glimpse inside the box. I'm astounded by what I see. John is running around the interior… a very large interior. Jeff and I both look inside then look back outside and back inside again. _'What in the actual hell?'_ I think Jeff is frozen to the spot, not that I blame him. I'm kind of just sitting there (not that I have a choice) gawking at the inside of this… I don't even know what it is! All I know is that what I am seeing can't be physically possible.

John looks over at us from this central pillar thing and exclaims, "Well come on then! Don't just stand there! Come on in! We've got lots to do and not a whole lot of time to do it!" He continues running around the pillar thing as we slowly creep inside. I see a seat next to where John is running around and point it out to Jeff so he can set me down. I don't really care if I get it wet, I just don't want Jeff to carry me around anymore.

Jeff starts to wander around the giant round room, staring up at the ceiling, the walls, the console, the pillar, at the grated floor. I'm busy watching John stare at what looks to be a computer screen. I can't see what's on the screen, but John is staring at it with complete concentration. The conversation from before my attempted drowning comes back to me. I think now will be my only chance to get answers.

But, before that… "John? Please tell me you have dry clothes somewhere in…whatever this is." I start coughing again which only makes my shivering start up. It's probably a good thing because John looks a little abashed when he looks over at me and my pitiful state. Jeff walks back over to me and rubs my arms, probably trying to force my extremities to warm up on friction alone.

"Sorry, of course. Let me go grab something for both of you and then we'll talk, eh?" I nod in agreement and he dashes off down a side hallway that I only just noticed. My god, how big _is_ this thing?

"Are you really okay? Or are you just saying that to appease us?"

I glance up at Jeff and take stock of what exactly he is feeling. I've kind of been neglecting his feelings in my attempt to get my own emotions in check. He is still worried. Incredibly so. And scared. He hasn't moved away from me because of his fear that I am going to disappear in front of him. This whole experience has really shaken him up and he doesn't even know what we are facing yet. I forgot that he wasn't there when the Maenads came out to play with John and I. I wonder how much we can tell him in such little time. It is only three hours before the first people start showing up to the school and we have so much to do before then.

I look at Jeff and give him the steadiest smile I can. "I'm not okay right now, but I will be. All I really want right now is a blanket or something." He nods when I'm done. This is why I love Jeff. He knows that I know how worried and scared he was. We don't need to verbalize these things to each other to know the other understands. This is why our friendship is so strong. I look off to the doorway right when John walks through carrying a few towels and blankets so we can get semi dry and stay warm.

"When you are dried off and we've finished talking, you can peruse my collection of clothing and change," he offers, handing us each a few towels and a blanket each. I smile in appreciation and start toweling off then wrap the blanket around me. Sweet warmth. There is a comfortable warm temperature radiating from the blanket. '_I wonder if it's electric?'_

I look back at John, who is back at the computer screen, and notice he has dried off and changed too. He looks back at me and smiles a little—well, it's more of a quirk of the lips than anything showing amusement. "So, I know you have questions."

I nod. Right now, there is only one question I want answered. "Who are you really?" He tilts his head to the side and I roll my eyes. "You introduced yourself as John Smith, secondary school Physics teacher. And yet, you know so much about the things we were facing. They seemed to know you too. In fact, they were scared of you. You have this box that is a lot bigger on the inside, which defies Earth-bound physics. Who are you?"

"Are you implying I am an alien, Lily?" he asks in return. I sigh. I so do not want to play this game.

"I'm just not leaving out the possibility. I know the rest of the human population has deluded themselves into believing aliens don't actually walk among us. But the last few Christmases should have proven to them that we aren't the only beings walking around here. Hell, you just told me those things we were facing are originally from another planet! So, I am open to the possibilities. Just tell me the truth."

John stares at me for a moment then glances to Jeffrey who has been standing next to me during my mini tirade. He is also curious and is intrigued by what I just said about what happened in the pool. He wants to know too. Finally, he looks back to me and smiles.

"Well, I think a new introduction is in order. Hello, I'm the Doctor. And I'm here to save this school and, potentially, the planet."


	13. Chapter 12

**AN: Longest chapter yet! Sorry it took so long. But I finally got over my writer's block and here it is! We learn a little bit more about Lily's powers and... well other things. Please review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own zip of Doctor Who. Just this fic.**

Chapter 12

"The Doctor?"

"Yep, that's my true name. Well, not actually my true name, but that's what everyone calls me, so I suppose it's basically my name."

I'm just slowly blinking at him. '_Maybe I did trust a madman.'_

"Doctor?" Jeffrey pipes up. "That's not really a name, though. That's a title. Doctor who?"

"Okay then, Doctor," I start, preventing Jeff from pushing this. We don't have time for this. "What are you exactly and what is going on?"

"Straight forward," he says softly, kind of getting a faraway look in his eyes. "I like that about you, Lily. You remind me of someone I used to know." Sadness and regret come off of him in waves, and some guilt too. I wonder who that person was. Maybe I can ask him later. He snaps himself out of his daze a second later and starts to explain. "Well, as to what I am, I am a Time Lord from the planet of Gallifrey. We are currently inside my spaceship, Time and Relative Dimensions in Space, or TARDIS for short. And, yes, it has bigger on the inside technology. I'll get into that later. As to what is going on, that's a little bit more tricky." At this, he starts running around the circular console pushing buttons and flipping switches and even banging at something with a mallet at one point. "I've only really delayed the Sh'rai for the time being but they will come back with a vengeance and we need to have a plan."

"Hold on," Jeffrey says, looking very confused and even raising his hand as if we were in class. "What _are_ the Sh'rai?"

"Well, they are what dragged our dear Lily into the pool and almost drowned us after I jumped in after her. They actually have a much longer name, but you will not be able to pronounce it with your vocal cords, so for now we are using Sh'rai. As I told Lily earlier, they are a race of people from the planet Ra'jesh which is a water planet, almost no landmass whatsoever to its name. However, due to solar issues, the Sh'rai race transported to Earth because of this planet's abundance of water. Ancient peoples who encountered the race thought they were nature spirits and so called them nymphs, sirens and the like." He looks up from the console to make sure Jeff is following and immediately goes back to punching in something on what looks like a keyboard. "However, the group we're fighting is a tad bit more extreme than the rest of their brethren. They absolutely hate humans and wish to rid the planet of you lot."

"But why? This isn't their planet to begin with," I point out.

"While that is true, they see humans as destructive and violent, which you have to admit, is pretty much true. They hate that you are polluting the planet and basically multiplying at fast rates. They believe you will destroy the planet before the century is over, which isn't true in the slightest, they just believe it is. Anyway, so this group is using the children of this school in order to completely manifest again into their true forms and receive all of their original powers. And if that happens," at this he looks up at us with a dead serious look on his face. "We can pretty much say good-bye to the human race."

"Hold on," Jeffrey says again, a little bit more urgently. "Gain their original forms and powers? How did they lose them in the first place? And how is stealing these kids emotions going to help them get it all back?"

"Well, when they got to this planet they used all of their power to get here. Some creatures can travel without a spaceship, however it costs them a lot. For the Sh'rai, it cost them their original forms along with all of their powers. What we saw tonight was their limited form."

"You call that a limited form?" I respond, rubbing my throat in the process. In no way was that limited. I couldn't even fight them off!

"Imagine what you were fighting ten times bigger and them drowning you with only their mind. That is their power. Some retained this ability and in ancient times they were called Sirens, but they were dealt with pretty quickly by some smart bloke who knew to block his ears with wax. Quite a brilliant strategy really," he trails off, still running around the console until finally facing the screen he was originally at and staring at it again. "So, anyway. One thing the Sh'rai don't have are complete emotions which is another reason for why they turned so bad. They are basically running on instinct and that's not a good thing for anyone on this planet. They need the children's emotions as the key to start retrieving their full capacity once again." Turning the computer screen around so we can see it, he points to the little blips of light that cover a maze like thing on the screen. "For right now, I am monitoring their movements around the school. While I was able to flush them out of the pool and down the drain, they managed to escape and move into the pipes. They're not about to let this go, and we can't either. I have an idea of what to do, but I'm going to need you, Lily, to help." Suddenly turning very serious, he looks directly at me. I sit up a little in my chair and pay complete attention to what he is saying. "It's going to be dangerous. We'll need to head them off just outside the school and I'll need you to keep them busy while I set the stage. I can't promise to keep you safe."

"That's why I'm here," Jeffrey says, placing his hands on my shoulders. I look back up at him and give him a small smile. I look back at Jo—no, the Doctor. I give him a nod.

"Just tell me where I need to go and what I need to do."

And just like that, he's smiling that great big smile of his and I can't help but smile back.

-oOo-

About a half hour later I'm standing outside in the back of the school right next to a grate that leads down into the sewers. Luckily, I'm wearing a new (dry) outfit that I was able to borrow from the TARDIS clothing mall—as I have now dubbed it—and I don't think I'm going to return it. Jeffrey is standing next to me (also sporting some new clothes), tense and ready to face whoever decides to face us. He expects to get into a punching match with water (which is a really funny mental picture) and I just expect us to stand here talking for the next…well, however long it takes for the Doctor to get things organized and ready. Either way, we're going to be standing here for a bit hoping that we will be distracting enough.

I get to put my acting skills to the test again. Sigh.

I huddle inside my black sweater trying to conserve some heat. Even though it's really not that cold outside, I feel like it is. I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything I just found out and trying to get over the fact that I almost died. And the fact that I have to face the very things that tried to kill me is enough to set me on edge as it is. Add to that the fact that I have to somehow distract these things while simultaneously gathering information about them and the drug and also how Jeffrey is feeling is making my headache just grow a little bit bigger. Plus, my exhaustion has reared its ugly head as well. After all, I have been up for almost 24 hours already (that whole five minute thing where I was unconscious does not count) and all I want to do is climb into bed and pretend I don't exist.

Of course, that's if my dreams allow me to rest, which after this little adventure, I doubt they will.

I stand there trying not to look obvious that I'm starting to sway and continue to stare into space. I have no idea where these things are going to be coming from, but the Doctor told us that they would come meet us out here. Just as long as we stay away from the grate, we should be fine. We are in the middle of a drought so there are no water puddles around us to hide them either. I'm not entirely sure I can handle much more of this waiting. _'That's it, I'm going to sleep. Right here standing up, I don't care.'_

Right when I close my eyes I sense Jeffrey tensing beside me and all of his emotions shut off and become alert. Well, I guess that only means one thing: they're finally here. I open my eyes and stare as water bubbles up from under the grate and slowly seeps out of its openings. The only thing about that: it's rising straight up, like a geyser, but oh so slowly. And I thought my night was already weird. We watch it as it slowly ascends and takes the form of a dowdy woman that I have become pretty familiar with.

"Oiy, couldn't you have sent another one of you? I'm really tired of seeing your face," I say as a form of greeting. I'm not going to be nice anymore. I'm too tired for that.

She finishes forming into her lumpy self, sweats and stethoscope included, and sneers in my direction. Yep, it's a mutual hatred. "As much as I would love to send one of the other girls, they can't quite form into this form yet, so alas, it's only me." She looks me up and down then and I give a scathing glare. "Too bad my sisters couldn't finish you off. As great as your abilities might be, you have a mouth that really needs to learn to stay shut."

I continue to glare at her. Jeffrey, for his part, is handling this all quite well. After all, it's not every day you see a nurse suddenly materialize from water. I don't think he knows what to say. Or do. Hell, I don't even know what to say or do. How the hell am I supposed to distract her when she has a bunch of sisters I can't even see?

Oh wait, that's right. _'I am an idiot.'_ When the Doctor put up his own barrier in my mind, it became much easier to be selective of what I felt. Translation: I need to concentrate more on what others are feeling in order to really register their there. Granted, the emotions didn't go away, they just drifted away from my awareness. I lower my barrier a little and start paying more attention to the feelings coursing around me. But first things first…

"Just how many of you are there?" I ask.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she retorts, pissing me off further.

"Yes, actually, I would. It's only courtesy to tell your opponent just how many aliens she may be fighting at any given time. As you can see, there are only two of us here. How many of you are there?"

She smiles wickedly and glances back down into the grate. "There are, including myself, ten of us."

_'Gotcha.'_ My eyes widen slightly at that news. "Ten?"

"How do you expect us to fight off ten of you? Especially if you can change into water at will?" Jeffrey pipes up, following my subtle lead.

Evil Nurse Lady starts laughing and there begins a phantom laughing troupe from under her feet. "You can't, that's the thing. It's the perfect plan, you see. By the time you might be able to pin us down we will have all of our powers back and you will be at our mercy."

"Define these powers for me. After all, they seem to be quite—oh, what's the word? Oh yes—lame."

I get a great loathing glare and the hate that suddenly rushes forward confirms my suspicions. All there and accounted for. Good. Now to keep it that way. _'Doctor, please hurry up with whatever you are doing.' _

"Our powers include many things, _mortal_. But what you should be most concerned about is our significant powers in telepathy. Not only can we hear everything you are thinking, we can also manipulate your thoughts. Make you believe whatever we want you to believe. It was always great fun making men believe that we could grant them all their desires and watch them drown just trying to get to us. And watch young, beautiful women be driven mad with nothing but the touch of our minds. You, Empath, could never understand such power, such ectasy." Her eyes have clouded over in want of something she once had, in desire for the past. That wanting is reflected in her brethren as well. I simply role my eyes at her, not that she notices.

"The way _you_ describe it, I would never want those kind of powers," I spit at her. "To use a power in such a way simply because you can is sickening. And if being immortal causes that kind of thinking, I'm glad I'm mortal."

She laughs at me then. Her mood suddenly shifts to that of complete glee and I can't comprehend the shift. "You have absolutely no idea about yourself, Empath. How pitiful." She gives me a mock pitying look while I just give her a confused look. '_What the hell is she talking about?'_

"She knows enough to not be a monster like you," Jeffrey defends, putting a hand on my arm. I appreciate what he says about me, but now I'm curious.

I must be easy to read. "You want to know something about your powers, Lily? They are just as powerful as mine, if not more potent. While an idea is quite powerful, emotions for humans are much more so."

"What are you talking about?" I'm starting to get fed up with the ambiguousness of this conversation.

"You have only begun to scratch the surface of your abilities. Sure, you can sense others emotions and understand others because of them. But dear little girl, you can do so much more than that."

I feel a pit forming in my stomach. But I have to know. "Like what?"

She gives me another creepy gleeful smile. "Why, you can create emotions in other people. And there is so much potential with that kind of power. For instance, you can start wars between nations, destroy relationships, shake the very foundation of a person's psyche if you wished it. Being an empath is so much more than sensing emotions and you have absolutely no idea."

I scoff. There is absolutely no way. I can barely handle the power as it is. What makes her think I could do any of what she just said? Or that I would even want to?

"Think of it this way, Empath," she starts up, catching my attention again. "How do you know that your dear friend Jeffrey there is really your friend?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm her friend!" he shouts.

"Are you? Genuinely? How do you know she hasn't forced you to like her? This power may be dormant within her but it doesn't mean that it isn't being used." Her attention switches back to me and I try to stand under that insane gleam in her eyes. "And what about your students? How could 20 students, all roughly the same age, like a woman like you meddling in their lives? Haven't you ever thought it was odd?"

My eyes widen again. I'll never admit it out loud to her, but I have often wondered that. How _could_ they like me? I do meddle in their lives more than any one person should but they never seem to be annoyed with me or angry. They just seem to accept it as the way it is. None of them have ever gotten upset with me, even in the beginning. What if she's right?

"Lily, don't listen to her," Jeffrey whispers to me and I glance over at him. "None of what she is saying is true. I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't genuinely like you and think you were a great person. You are a great person, don't ever doubt that, powers or no powers."

I feel a burning in the back of my eyes and try to swallow the lump that is forming in my throat. Jeffrey is such a great friend. However, now is not the time for crying. It seems the Doctor still needs some time and I need to keep distracting them for as long as it takes him to do whatever he needs to do.

I wipe the wetness from my eyes (_'I am NOT crying!')_ and focus my attention back on Creepy Nurse Lady. Time to dig. "Why did you involve children?"

"They are the most emotional out of the lot of you. So many hormones raging making their emotions go completely insane. It's wonderful!"

I roll my eyes at her description. Oh yes, teenage years are so wonderful. Hormones are my best friend! I know she's evil and not human, but that does not mean she has the right to be stupid.

"So, the more emotions, the what? Quicker you reform?"

"Exactly so." She smiles at me again. If she gives me that creepy smile one more time I _will_ punch her.

"Are there any long term effects for the students?" Jeffrey asks, completely worried for the students sake and trying to take control of the conversation before I do something stupid. I must be really easy to read.

She looks up at the sky as if thinking about it and my hackles begin to rise again. I've said it once and I'll say it again: I'm exceedingly protective of children. "Well, once they stop taking the pill, no there won't be. They'll go right back to how they were before: absentminded and useless."

As annoyed as I am by the statement, I sigh in relief. So I guess there really is nothing I have to do in order to revert this. Yay.

"But, we don't plan on that happening anytime soon," she continues. "After all, we all haven't completely reformed yet."

"Don't think that I won't stop you, alien," I say coldly. I pull out from the small satchel I am wearing the bottle of pills that I took from the nurses' station right before I came out here. It is white with a blue, hand-written label on it. "Maximophil" is scrawled along the label in thin, spidery hand-writing. Creepy Nurse Lady gasps and lurches forward away from the grate. I walk over to the gutter and open the bottle.

"No! Give that back!"

"Come any closer and I'll make sure to scatter this into the drain!"

She stops moving and moves back over to the grate. Hopefully this will prevent her or her sisters from moving. I need to keep them where they are. I know they can move around in the pipes, but if any of the water ones touch the pills, they will dissolve and thus ruin them. It would be pointless for them to even try. So the only one I have to worry about is the nurse.

She sends me a most evil glare that sends a shiver down my spine. I have no doubt that if she had even a fracture of her power, she would kill me on the spot. Good thing for me that she doesn't.

"Now, this is what you are going to do," I say with a chilling calm. I have no idea what the Doctor is doing, but considering I have this chance, I am going to take it. "You are going to leave this school and go back to the ocean or wherever the hell your brethren are. You are going to forget this silly little idea of yours and be content with what you have. Your other kind doesn't seem to mind being water aliens and remaining peaceful. Why don't you follow their lead? If you don't move out of here within ten minutes, these pills are going to go for a swim and your plan will be ruined anyway. Got it?" Not that I intend for these pills to stay. I'm going to destroy them no matter what they do. But they don't need to know that.

Jeffrey looks at me wide-eyed. "Damn," he whispers, just loud enough so I can hear him. "I didn't know you had that in you."

Frankly, neither did I, but I can't tell him that now. I'm in the middle of a glaring contest.

All of a sudden I hear a loud clang and can feel alarm coming from the watery aliens below Creepy's feet. She looks underneath her with a quizzical look. "What's going on? Why are you all bubbling?"

_'Bubbling? Is that code for something?'_ Suddenly the alarm turns to true fear and I can hear some screaming from a couple of the aliens. Soon, they are all screaming, including the Nurse Lady. They are so loud and shrill that I drop the pill bottles and cover my ears. I can see that Jeff is doing the same. I glance up from my doubled over position and stare at the only alien I can see. It's like her entire body is bubbling over, like a pot of boiling water. Soon, it's foaming over and she begins to break apart. It looks like her body is simultaneously turning back into water and turning into steam. She continues screaming in pain and I can't help but feel sorry for her.

Soon, there is nothing left of any of them, just steam drifting in the wind and climbing up into the atmosphere. I stand up completely and gaze dumbfounded into the sky, watching as the last traces of what used to be a nightmare dances into the atmosphere. Jeffrey walks over and picks up the now mostly empty pill bottle. The pills are scattered all over my feet. Oh well. I look over at Jeffrey and say the only thing that comes to mind.

"What the bloody hell just happened?"


	14. Chapter 13

**AN: I'm back! Longest chapter yet at over 4,000 words! Woot! Anyway, this is basically the end to Part 1 of the story. I promise there is a plot to this beyond the She'rai and it's coming up in the next chapters (hopefully). Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine. Can't wait for the start up though!**

Chapter 13

I sighed loudly as I leaned against the doorjamb of the Headmaster's office, watching the student body move about. I'm barely keeping my head up at this point and my exhaustion is pulling on my eyelids. Jeff has already gone back ('_Lucky bastard')_ simply because I wouldn't be able to cover for him. There is enough reason for the Doctor and I to be here—he's the teacher and I'm basically an advisor. Jeff, unfortunately, doesn't, so he got to go home and sleep.

Again, lucky bastard.

I'm waiting for the Doctor to get back after talking to the Headmaster about the drug. Obviously we can't tell him what really happened, so he's telling him some fabricated story. Something about a crazy nurse getting her hands on the drug… and I kind of just lost track of the story after that. I'm really just too tired to care. I'm watching the students walk by heading towards various classrooms, talking to their peers. I'm keeping an eye out for the students and seeing if I can find the effected ones. I just won't feel comfortable until I know that the drug is actually wearing off.

I see Tim down the hallway and pay close attention to him as he walks by. He isn't a blank slate anymore, now that I figured out what it was about him that was off when I talked to him the previous day. The epiphany only hit me an hour ago: there were certain students that had no emotional reading at all and I was picking up on them, but the rest of the student body's emotions drowned out that realization. His emotional read is still very subdued, however there is something there. _'Thank God, it's already wearing off.'_ I sigh with relief and relax a little more against the wall. I don't have to worry about shielding because the Doctor's voodoo mind meld is still working. This is the first time I've even partially relaxed in the past 24 hours and I am cherishing it.

A loud disturbance down the hallway grabs my attention and I look to my right. I see Tyler kneeling on the floor picking up a few textbooks and some strewn notes that had fallen out of his folders. There are a couple of big, skater-looking boys standing over him laughing. While I watch, I see who must be the leader grab Tyler's stuff and toss them back down the hall and kick Tyler's legs out from under him so he lands on his stomach in front of the three boys. I can feel their malice from where I am standing and Tyler is just resigned to the whole situation. _'These must be the bullies he's told me about. At least he isn't afraid of them anymore.'_ My own anger is starting to spike watching these boys torture Tyler for no other reason than they can.

Just as I am about to stomp my way over there, Kendra appears out of nowhere and pulls Tyler off of the floor and starts brushing off and fixing his clothes. Sarah is picking up his things and glaring at the three boys who are still sneering at Tyler. Ben storms past me and shoves himself in front of Tyler and Kendra and towers over the three boys. I creep a little closer as they start exchanging words with each other. Some of my other students start trickling by until the vast majority are standing behind Tyler, following Sarah's example of trying to burn holes into the other boys skulls with nothing but their eyes.

As if I can talk: I'm doing the same thing.

"What are you guys doing?" Ben asks in a low voice.

"None of your damn business, Sasquatch," the leader spits out, crossing his arms across his chest. His anger at not catching his prey leaks out to me and I clench my fists in anger. It is taking all my self-control not to punch this kid's lights out.

"Fine," Ben says after a short glaring match. He glances back at all of my kids—his friends—standing behind him, lending their silent support. He looks back to the other boys and finally continues in a dangerously low voice, "I don't like violence. But, I know what you three have been doing to my friends, especially Tyler. Here's a quick tip: you ever hurt my friends again, the Headmaster will be the least of your worries."

"Are you threatening us?"

"Oh, no, I'm not threatening." He smiles then and takes a step back. "It's a promise." At that he turns around and ushers them all away down the hall away from where I am standing. The bullies stand there for a second, then finally scoff and head in the opposite direction from my group. I glare at them as they walk past.

Once they are out of my sight, I smile. I could not be more proud of my kids. They are standing up for each other and relying on each other for help. They no longer need my help, and for that, I couldn't be happier.

"You've done a good job with them," a voice says right by my ear making me jump a foot in the air. I whirl around and behold the Doctor leaning against the wall, arms crossed with one leg crossed over the other and a smile on his face.

I give him a half-hearted glare for startling me and glance back to notice my kids have disappeared. Actually, almost all of the kids have disappeared. I sigh again (I've got to knock that off) and look back to the Doctor. "Yep. They have finally learned what I was teaching them." I feel a little wistful now and glance back to where they were standing before. "They don't need me anymore."

"Oh, of course they do," he says, looking to where I was staring just a moment before. "You're like their parent or very wise older sister. And just like those roles, they are always going to need your guidance, just not as often as before."

Now he sounds wistful and nostalgic. I get the feeling he isn't talking about my kids anymore, but that's okay. _'What a pair we make.'_

"So, everything taken care of with the Headmaster?" I ask, mainly just to change the subject.

"Yep! Got everything squared away. Mr. Hendrikson will be returning to school on Monday and the hunt for a new nurse has begun." He stares pointedly at my satchel before continuing. "All we have to do is destroy the last of the drugs. Sure you got them all?"

"They're all here," I answer, patting my satchel, clinking the bottles together. After the episode of the Steaming Sprite (I am now calling it), Jeff and I returned to the school and tore apart the nurse's office looking for more of the drug. In all we found 11 bottles hidden throughout the office and they are all sitting in my bag now waiting to take a trip down a drain.

We turn and head leisurely to the bottom level of the school, both lost within our own thoughts. Oddly enough, nobody has once questioned about the drained pool—at least, not that I've noticed. Then again, since those creepy alien water things evaporated, I haven't been paying too much attention to what has been going on around me. Especially after Jeff and I met up with the Doctor and we found out exactly what he did.

-FLASHBACK-

"What the hell just happened?"

Jeff shakes his head, staring back at the grate in astonishment. Just a minute ago I was going to get these things to agree not to show up here again. Now, they're just not here. Hell, they look like they had just been given a gruesome torture by something we couldn't even see.

"What do we do now?" he whispers, afraid to disturb the sudden stillness no doubt.

I shake myself to get my focus back on the here-and-now. At the very least, they're gone and I need to think about cleaning up the mess. I grab the pill bottle off the ground and dump the remaining pills into the sewer. Nobody else will play victim to these things ever again if I have anything to say about it.

"Let's get back inside," I respond once I get my head back on straight. "We need to make sure these are the only pills in the building. Well, at least in the nurse's office."

He nods and we go back inside. We walk to the office in silence and tear apart the room looking for the bottles. Ultimately, we found eleven, but they were in the most random of places. One was found under the mattress of one of the beds, another taped underneath the nightstand, and yet another between the wall and the cabinets. She tried really hard for these bottles not to get found. By the time we found the one under the nightstand, we were crawling on the floor looking under every piece of furniture we could find. This is how the Doctor found us.

"Why are you on the floor?"

"The psycho lady was a little bit more clever than originally anticipated," Jeff says, reaching underneath one of the cots and pulling out another bottle. "That makes it number seven."

I'm currently climbing under the other cot trying to reach another bottle that is against the wall. One joy of being on the smaller side: can easily climb under beds. I reached the bottle and rolled it out to Jeff. "Make that eight."

I flop my head down on the floor and just stare at the underside of the bed. I'm so beyond tired and sore. All I want to do is sleep, but I know I probably won't get any rest when I do. My dreams are going to be all over the place. I sigh to myself and watch the Doctor's red trainers and Jeff's black running shoes move about the room, looking for more bottles. I've decided that I am done, for the time being. The boys can handle this part without me. At least, I hope so.

I close my eyes and think back on everything that had happened over the past 20 hours. Just thinking on it, it's only Tuesday. The other day I was sitting in the park talking with Jeffrey about a strange dream. Now, it's like a nightmare had come to life and a hero from a different planet had to come and save the day. God, it sounds like a horrible 1950s sci-fi movie. And to think, I almost died! I know I'm kind of fixating on that, but hell, I've never almost died before. And somehow, the Doctor saved me. I never did get an explanation for that. Hell, he hasn't explained what the heck happened to the She'rai. I suppose it's a good idea to get answers.

"Found another one," I hear Jeff say, completely exasperated. "That makes eleven. Dear God, please let that be the last one."

"I believe it is," replies the Doctor. I watch his trainers move across the floor across from me and hear the other cot creak. "They must have planned on feeding this to the entire school. They would then have become impossible to defeat."

I watch Jeff's shoes walk over until they are right in front of my face. "Well, it's a good thing you were here, Doctor." A kick. "Lily, will you come out? I want to sit down preferably without crushing you."

I huff in annoyance and pull myself out. I sit up and lean against the bed, flopping my head back on the mattress. I don't intend on really moving for a while. I glance at the clock. "It's three am!" I groan out, closing my eyes in the process. "People will be here in an hour to start cleaning and such. We can't stay here."

"You look so ready to move," Jeff remarks.

"Shut it. I'm tired."

"Well so am I! You don't hear me complaining."

"You just want to get punched in the face."

He grunts and shuts up. '_Good, now I can focus.'_ I open my eyes and tip my head towards the Doctor. He's kicked his legs up onto the cot and is leaning against the wall. We lock eyes and I get the feeling he knows what I'm going to ask. "What exactly happened out there?"

"Microwave Pulse Generator," he replies, brown eyes rolling up to stare at the ceiling. "Do you both know how microwaves affect water?"

I nod. Jeffrey on the other hand whispers, "Huh?" and I roll my eyes.

"Jeff," I say, taking over the conversation from the Doctor, "do you know how microwaves—the appliance—works?"

He shakes his head at me and I sigh again. "Basically, the appliance gives off microwaves to the cold food. The molecules of the water inside the food vibrate at a faster rate, which causes them to become warmer and causes the rest of the food to heat up. That's what microwaves do to water."

"How the heck do you know that?"

"I paid attention in science class." I look back to the Doctor, silently asking him to continue.

"Basically, once all the She'rai got into one area—the grate in the parking lot—I went around putting up barriers around the other tunnels to keep them trapped. Luckily for me there was only three. In order to block them, I only had to etch a type of rune into the sewer wall using my sonic screwdriver. You see, the She'rai race was deeply religious and used runes to connote everything in…"

I let him continue with the cultural lesson for another minute before I decided it was time to move on. "Doctor."

He looks at me wide-eyed then gives me a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Anyway, the rune prevented them from passing over it, thus trapping them in that particular tunnel, thanks to you using yourself as bait. Once they were trapped, I used my Microwave Pulse Generator to officially get rid of them."

"Wait," Jeff says, holding up a hand. "Are they dead?"

"Not quite," he hedges, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "While being microwaved is very uncomfortable, it only turned them into a gas. It will take them centuries to reform in a liquid state. They'll be floating around in the Earth's atmosphere until then."

I cringe. Yeah, definitely sounds uncomfortable, if not downright torturous. I can't help but feel bad for them. I mean, I don't blame them for wanting their former glory back. However, they definitely went about it the wrong way. And now they've been tortured into their molecular components for the next…well, hundreds of years. Yikes.

"Just out of curiosity, where did you get a Microwave Pulse Generator?"

"Found it on an abandoned space junk pile when I was travelling. Thought it might come in handy at some point." A shrug. "You never know."

"Yeah, well, it came in handy today." I flop my head back onto the mattress. "Now that we have all the bottles, I guess we need to get rid of them and come up with a cover story."

"Cover story for what?" I feel a nudge on my head and throw a glare at Jeff. "I mean, who needs to know about all this?"

"What? Are we supposed to make the Headmaster think the nurse went AWOL? I think not! He'll end up calling the police or something when he can't get ahold of her. It would be better to come up with a story for why she isn't around here anymore."

"Leave that to me," the Doctor says suddenly. "However, we should get back to the TARDIS until it's appropriate for Lily and I to be here. Jeff, I think you might have to leave at this point and allow us to handle it."

Jeff nods and stands up. "No problem, Doc." He gives me a hand standing up and we all gather up the bottles and head to where the TARDIS is hiding. "I'll just pick up my clothes first and then head out." We walk in silence for all of ten seconds. "So, Doctor. What's a sonic screwdriver?"

-oOo-

Now that everything is settled (minus the pills), I've gotten a chance to think—especially after Jeff left. (Don't get me wrong, I love Jeffrey to death. He's just exceedingly distracting a majority of the time.) As much as I love that the Doctor was here to help, especially considering I was considerably over my head, I'm not entirely sure about his method. After all, I feel like if I had gotten a few extra minutes to talk to the She'rai, I may have been able to convince them to leave. And was it humane to get rid of them in such a (kind of) permanent way? Then again, even if they had agreed, they could have just gone to another school and done the same thing, then we'd be back to square one. After all, there's no saying they were trustworthy. I just can't help but feel there was another way. He showed absolutely no mercy to them.

_'Have I gotten myself into an even worse situation by just being around him?'_

Then again, he did save my life. He got involved when I asked and has gone above and beyond to eliminate the threat to the students. Hell, he didn't even have the full picture when he decided to help me. He can't be that bad of a person if he was so willing to help.

Right?

We walk into the girls locker room and move into the showers. We figured this would be the most ideal place to dump the pills because nobody will be in here for a couple hours at least, if they are even going to use the pool today. I turn on a couple of the shower heads, making sure to stay out of the spray and toss one of the bottles to the Doctor. We set to work making sure every single pill gets drowned. I get a sick kind of satisfaction knowing none of these pills will affect any of the kids in this school ever again. Okay, so my overprotective side has reared its head, so what? I'm just glad this whole thing is finally over.

"So," I start, trying to get my thoughts on a more positive direction, "what are you going to do now?"

"Oh, well, what I've always done. See the universe."

We walk out of the locker rooms and stop in front of the stairs. This is where we have to separate. I can't help but feel a little sad that I am not going to see this very eccentric man again. He seems so interesting. I would love to get to know him a little more. I look up the stairs then back to him. He's standing there with his hands in his pockets, just waiting. "Well, that certainly sounds like fun," I finally respond. "I can just imagine how beautiful it all must be."

He nods. "It's very beautiful. Especially when I meet extraordinary people like you, Ms. O'Shea."

I smile. "Thank you, Doctor." I suddenly feel an overwhelming sense of sadness, and not just from myself. I run forward and give him a hug. Saying goodbye wouldn't be complete without at least trying to convey how grateful I was to him. About everything. "Really, thank you." I lean back a little from his chest, where my face had ended up. (Yay, being short. Not.) "Try not to be a stranger, okay? I think it would be very fun getting to know you, Doctor."

He smiles and gives one last squeeze before letting me go. I watch as he turns and heads towards his bigger-on-the-inside spaceship. I sigh (for the millionth time that day) and head up the stairs. It's time to go back to my apartment and get some much needed sleep.

-oOo—

The walk back to my apartment was short and uneventful. I walk through the door and lean against it after I shut and lock it. My exhaustion again hits me. I swear, there's like a force-field around this door that immediately makes me feel tired or like my bladder is about to burst every time I walk through it. I decide I should probably take care of that problem and get something to eat before hitting my bed. Luckily for me, I called into work today too—just in case I needed to go back to the school for a second investigative assignment—so I don't need to go in.

After polishing off my cereal, I walk over towards my mantle, which is right above my chair, and pick up my locket. This is the only thing that I have from when I was young, before my grandparents found me. I tend to hold it when I'm feeling particularly troubled. I don't know why. But it gives me comfort, I guess. I trace the circular patterns around it and close my eyes, sending a little prayer to who knows where. Maybe some parents I don't even remember? I don't know. I don't even know if they were the ones who gave this to me. But it's my only connection to that part of my life.

I sigh and put it back down on the mantle. I go into the bathroom to wash my face and change before climbing into bed. I'm trying my hardest not to think about the events of the past day, and especially not on a certain brown, spiky-haired doctor. Nope, just concentrating on counting and washing and all the work I'm going to need to do when I get back to work. Joy.

I'm just finishing brushing my teeth when I become aware of a very strange noise. Like a grinding noise, but not quite grinding. There really is no way to describe it. I glance around the bathroom, then peek my head out of my bathroom into my bedroom. Nothing unusual in there either. I head towards my bedroom door and peek out into my living room. "You've got to be kidding me."

Sitting smack dab in the middle of my living room is the TARDIS. "That's it, I'm hallucinating." I blink and rub my eyes for a second trying to make the TARDIS disappear from my obviously troubled mind. _'Sleep deprivation. That's it. I really need to go to sleep.'_

As I'm about to turn around and walk into my bedroom, out pops the Doctor's head from around the double doors with a contemplative look on his face. "You know, I was thinking."

"Definitely sleep deprivation," I whisper, blinking some more. There is just no way he is here sitting in my living room, looking so casual. Like he didn't just basically break into my apartment. Then again, if you just appeared, is that considered breaking and entering? Ugh, my brain hurts.

"You're an Empath." I nod, indicating for him to continue. "And really your control of your abilities is quite, well, mediocre."

I try really hard not to be offended by that. But, he is right of course. Doesn't mean I can't give him an exceedingly annoyed look. "Your point being…? You're interrupting my sleep time."

"I was thinking that you really don't have any adequate teachers to help you control your powers." He appraises me for a second, then smiles slightly. "If you'd like, I could help teach you."

My eyes widen. "Really? You'd be willing to do that?"

"Of course! But, that means you'd have to come with me…"

At this I deflate a little. "Oh…" I look to the side and lean against the wall. How could I go with him? I have a life here. I can't just disappear from work. Not only would they freak out, but what about Jeff? And my kids? I can't just up and leave. "But, I can't just leave, Doctor. I have a life here. People who would be worried about me."

He nods at me, still smiling. "All genuine concerns. But did I mention? This machine also travels through time. I can take you away for years at a time and drop you right back off here ten seconds from now, no problem."

My eyes widen. "No way."

"Way." He smirks at me. Snarky bastard.

"You would really take me with you? And train me to handle my powers better? Really?"

"Really. That is, if you are going to accept…"

"One condition." I raise a finger when I say this and give him a very serious look. He nods for me to continue. "I get to sleep before we stop at some other place, okay? I have been prevented from sleeping for long enough."

He smiles a great big smile. "Deal, Ms. O'Shea!"

I smile back at him. "Alright, let me grab a few things and I'll be right there."

I walk back into my room and grab one of my hoodies, my dream journal where I record all the "real" dreams I get, my real journal where I record everything else, and the heart necklace my grandparents got me for my graduation. I walk back out into the living room and grab my locket. With everything I might need, I walk into the TARDIS to find the Doctor standing at the console. I walk over to him and watch as he punches in some… numbers? I have no freaking clue. Suddenly, I hear the grinding-like noise again and the ship jerks, so I have to grab onto the console with one hand. I look over to the Doctor who is grinning like a madman. "Next stop, the universe."


	15. Chapter 14

**AN: Here's the next one. I should be working on a research paper, but no, I'm working on this instead. Good to know I have my priorities straight. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't look at me.**

Chapter 14

It's dark here. It usually is in the beginning. I just float here, this waiting space, and just wait for it to begin. I'm not afraid. There's no need to be afraid of the dark. Especially not in our own minds.

I hear shouting coming from somewhere off to my left. I head in that direction, listening as the shouting increases slowly in volume and crying can now be heard. I come upon a girl, a teenager really, and an older woman who is obviously her mother. I must have been around the girl at some point during the school day. The girl is kneeling on the floor sobbing into her hands obviously trying to contain her sobs and being remarkable unsuccessful. The woman, her mother, is standing over her shouting at her about something or other. Something along the lines of how the girl could be so reckless and what would the neighbors think? How would she be able to look anyone in the eye again after her scandalous affair? How could she be so reckless and get herself pregnant?

Oh.

I watch on as the girl cries harder and the mother gives her a disdainful look and stomps away into the darkness of my mind. I look at the girl sympathetically. I wish I could go over and comfort the poor thing. She must feel so alone. But past experiences have proven that I will simply walk through her. After all, she's not really here; this is just a projection of her negative emotions that I had picked up on. Still, I wish I could help in some way. I wish I knew her name, at least.

The girl slowly disappears and I'm alone in my mind again. I wonder how many of these I will see tonight. The record is currently held at 12. They are not fun to watch play out most of the time. While we all experience happy emotions quite acutely, painful and downright depressing emotions are just more intense. So while I will sometimes get a good dream, like someone (usually a child) with their family or friends on the beach or at an amusement park, usually I receive dreams like this last one. Ones filled with pain and anguish and dreams broken. It's a horrible responsibility for me to carry. I think that's why I try to help as many people as I can—I want more happy dreams and less… nightmares.

I suppose I'm selfish in that regard.

I hear a noise behind me and I turn around and head that way. I walk up to a see a hospital. '_Again?'_ I walk through the doors and head upstairs to the fifth floor. Unfortunately I know this route a little too well. I walk past the nurse station, never once noticed by any of the staff or patients milling about as I walk down the pristine white hallways. I really do hate how they try to make these places cheerful and bright. It doesn't work. I come up to room 513 and walk right in unnoticed by the two occupants of the room. In the bed is an older woman, no older than 45. She's hooked up to a number of machines making sure to monitor her breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and everything else. She appears to be sleeping at the moment.

Ashleigh, my Ashleigh, is sitting in the plastic chair next to her mother, crying silently, lest she wake her sick and sleeping mother. I have this particular vision quite frequently. Her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago. The doctors at the time gave her six months to live. She proved them wrong. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the school year, her mother took a turn for the worst. She's been in and out of the hospital since then. Looks like she got worse again. I can't handle the heart-broken look on Ashleigh's face. A few tears escape from my eyes and I walk forward a few steps before I remember that I can't hug Ashleigh, or give her any form of comfort. That is the most frustrating part of these stupid things: being so useless.

I stand there for a few more minutes before the picture fades from my vision and I am back in the darkness. I wipe the tears from my eyes and settle in to wait again. As much as I need the dreams/visions from my kids, they are a combined blessing and curse. I hate to see them in so much pain. That's why I love seeing them week after week: it proves that even though they are going through hell (sick parents, bullying, drug-abusive families, and some so much worse) there are bright days. They may be few now, but it will get better and they will move on from this dark part in their lives. If I could bottle this up and show it to the world, I feel like so many could benefit from it. People are not alone and they don't have to be. And it will always get better. It may take time, but it will. I should know.

There's a flash of light ahead of me and I head in that direction. It takes a little longer than usual to get to the light. It's kind of like walking in a tunnel. Suddenly there's a giant flash of light and I'm suddenly sitting in a field. It looks oddly familiar, but I can't put my finger on why. There's a mountain range some ways in front of me and it looks like I'm sitting in a valley produced by two mountains. I look around and notice a few trees swaying in the slight breeze. It's dark out at the moment, the only light coming from the stars above me. _'Hmm, maybe this is just a normal dream then? I could use a normal one for once.'_ I flop back on the grass and look up at the stars and try and pick out my favorite constellations.

Except, there's one problem: I can't find any of them. There are absolutely no recognizable constellations—not even the big dipper! Okay, well, maybe I'm somewhere in the southern hemisphere. Well, that would mean I would be able to see the Southern Cross constellation. I scour the sky looking for the cross and find absolutely none. Granted, I see a lot of stars that could potentially form constellations, but none that I have ever seen, northern or southern hemisphere. Okay, well, I guess that means only one thing.

I'm looking at a different sky.

Weird.

Oh well. It's just a dream. I continue to stare up at the sky, trying to find pictures in the stars. My grandfather and I used to do this when I was young: we would stay up half the night starring at the sky just trying to find stars that would make pictures. Whoever found the best picture would win a bowl of ice cream when we got back home. I always won. I smile fondly at the memory. I miss him terribly. Grandma, too. I sigh quietly and watch the stars turn with the movement of the planet.

The stars are getting a little bit harder to see. I look over to my right and notice the sky brightening bit by bit. This part of the sky is turning a very bright blue color, like the sky on a sunny summer day. Odd. I continue to watch as the sun fights to break over the horizon. I look up directly above me, where it should be blue, but it is turning an amber color. Okay, so the sky has decided to play a reversal. What? I bring my eyes back to the horizon and notice the blue spread and darken and the sun finally breaks the horizon with a brilliant flash of light—

-O-

My eyes fly open and I look at the clock I set up next to bed. '_Wow, I slept for 13 hours. Way to go, me.'_ I slowly sit up in bed and stretch my back muscles out a bit. I look around the room I chose for a bit before I decide to get up and hunt the Doctor down. I walk over to the armoire that just so happens to be full of clothes my size and pull out some jeans and a plum blouse to wear. I look at the sweaters for a moment, deciding on whether I am going to need one or not and decide against it. I walk over to the vanity (yeah, there's a vanity in here. How cool is that?) and brush my long brown hair into a ponytail so it stays out of my way. My bangs are starting to get a little long though. I really should trim them, but I'll worry about that later. I put a little bit of eyeliner around my blue eyes just to make it look like I kind of tried to care about my appearance. However, I've never been a fan of make-up, so I don't usually bother.

Satisfied with how I look, I pull on my shoes and take one last look around my room. It's quite large really, bigger than my living room in my flat. It's got a queen sized bed in the center of the big wall, with a night stand right next to it. The vanity sits at the wall opposite the bed and the armoire to the right of the bed. There is a bathroom connected to it as well. The room is decorated in greens and ambers so it kind of feels like I'm in the forest. The best part of the room though? There is a whole wall full of books! Yeah, I'm an editor, I love to read, so what do you expect? Also, there's this little alcove on the other side of the bed right next to the bookcase where there is basically a cushioned bench with a couple lights and shelves around it. It's a reading nook! I swear, the TARDIS knew exactly what I like.

Yesterday, after I agreed to come with the Doctor, he led me towards a hallway with so many doors it hardly makes sense. He just told me to pick a room and that would be mine for however long I am with him. Some of the doors I tried were locked. One of those doors had a picture of a rose on it, another had a banana, and another one had what looked like a stethoscope. I found that highly ironic, especially considering I'm travelling with the Doctor who does not appear to be a doctor in the normal sense of the word. Oh well, to each their own. I finally tried this room and didn't need to see any of the others. It's just too perfect for me. And I get the distinct sense the TARDIS led me here, so I am going to listen to the wisdom of the ship.

My rumbling stomach pulls me back to reality and I decide I really need to find food. I walk out the door and take a look around. '_Where the heck am I supposed to go?'_ I decide to go right and just wander for a bit. I try a few different doors, but none of them led to food. One was a humongous library that I am obviously going to need to come back to and investigate further. Another led to an Olympic size swimming pool. _'Really? Just how big _is _this thing?'_ One room led to a weight room, another to a café looking thing, and then another led to an aquarium.

Wait. Café means food. I passed the food. Food.

I go back a few doors and go into the café. I immediately see some food has already been laid out for me and I gobble it up like I'm never going to eat again. I tell you, when you haven't eaten in over 14 hours (at least) and all you have in front of you is a turkey sandwich, crisps, and a banana, that is the best tasting food in the world.

I polish off the food and head back out the door. I now realize I am completely lost. I have taken a few turns down side hallways and have absolutely no idea on how to get back to the console room. "Um, help?" I say quietly, not really expecting to get any. Suddenly the lights in the hallway go out and one by one come back on leading down towards my right. I stare at the ceiling in awe and follow where the lights lead. A few right turns, a left, then another right and I see the console room at the end of the hallway. All the lights flicker back on and I whisper a quiet "thank you" to the ship. Really, it is quite extraordinary.

I walk into the console room and spy the Doctor sitting in the captain's chair, toying with some nuts and bolts. I look around for a moment before walking up alongside him watching the central blue tower vacillate. I see he's wearing his glasses again and he's wearing a brown suit today with white trainers. He must like suits.

"How did you sleep?" he asks in a form of greeting.

"Quite restful, all things considered," I reply, crossing my arms and leaning against the rail across from him. "In all honesty, I expected to have more dreams than I did. Only two—well, three really. But I think that last one was just a regular dream."

"So, you can remember all of your dreams?"

"Yep. It can be quite annoying at times, but it's something I've had all my life, so I'm used to it."

"That is just extraordinary," he says looking at me above his glasses, still fiddling with whatever it is he's got in his hands. "The average human mind can only recall the last dream they had during the REM cycle of sleep. Very few can remember the ones before then. You must use a higher percentage of your brain than the rest of the human race in order to do that."

"Wouldn't surprise me. After all, look what I can do when I'm awake. It's not exactly a normal ability, don't you think?" I look back at the console for a second. I'm not used to having this much attention on me about my abilities. It's a little unusual. Not uncomfortable, just… different. "So, do you actually need to wear glasses?"

"Nah, they just make me look cool," he responds, jumping up from the chair and running around the console again. "So, where would you like to go, Lily? All of time and space at your disposal." He looks back at me at this point as if trying to glean my interests by just staring at me alone. "How about the River Nile in the height of the Egyptian empire? I hear the fruit is wonderful during the summer months. Or I could take you to a spa planet in the Andromeda galaxy, but then again where's the fun in simply going to the spa? Wait, who's your favorite historical figure?"

"Uhhh, I don't really have a favorite."

"Oh come on! Favorite general, author, composer, king, someone!"

"Um, Rowling is my favorite author, but she's alive during my time, so that's not very fun. But if it's helpful, I love medieval England. I find it fascinating. I often attend Renaissance festivals and the like just for the hell of it."

He smiles a great big smile at me and pushes down on a lever. The TARDIS suddenly jerks to the side and I have to hold onto the rail for dear life while we plunge through time and space. Just as quickly, we come to a halting stop and the engine slowly shuts off. I pull myself up into a straighter position and look towards the doors. "Where are we?"

He shrugs. "Go take a look."

I glance back at him to see a go-on look on his face. With that encouragement, I run down the ramp and tear through the doors. There's a slight breeze and I can smell and hear the ocean where I am standing. Grass is everywhere and not a single building is in sight. The overcast sky gives it away though. We're still in England, definitely not near London though. The big question is: where are we and when are we? I decide to walk up the hill that is right in front of the TARDIS to see if I can find any buildings anywhere to give me an indication of when we might be. '_So weird thinking that. Can you imagine me asking someone that? When are we? Haha.'_ I make it to the summit and spy the beach just below me down the hill. In the distance, I spy a small sprawl of stone buildings. I wonder what those are.

"Welcome to medieval England. Well, while the country is still called England, there really isn't much of a sense of Englishness until about the thirteenth century." I glance over at the Doctor as he walks up next to me. "The country is still divided between many different kings and the church is still fighting the pagan heathens roaming about the countryside." He sniffs the air for a moment. "Well, we are right around the eighth century, the 60s or 70s, I'd say."

"Shouldn't you know the exact date? You brought us here."

"Oh, where's the fun in that?" He winks and I roll my eyes. Seriously, the man is insane. I look back at the stone building in the distance. "What do you think that is?" I ask, pointing it out to the Doctor.

"Could be a castle, wealthy farm, or a monastery." He shrugs. "Want to go check it out?" he asks, giving me a sly look.

I smile and nod. I'm not going to pass this chance up. He grabs my hand and we start jogging towards the place. Luckily for me we stick to the grass and not the sand. As I have said, I hate running, but I _really_ hate running in sand. Once we are about ten meters from the place, we slow down and walk calmly up to it. By this point, it's obvious that it's not a castle, otherwise we would have come across some form of guards brandishing huge swords or something of the sort. And it's not a wealthy farm because we would have seen a lot of people. It must be a monastery. My suspicions are confirmed when we see a robed man walk past the gate, murmuring to himself.

"Oh my god, a monastery," I whisper to myself. I can feel my excitement rising. "Doctor, do you know what could be in there? There are probably hundreds of old plays and stories in there being copied right now! Some that may have been lost to time by the time I'm from." I look over at him and notice he's smirking at me. "What? Yeah, I'm a nerd. Get used to it. Do you think they'll let me see some?"

"That's a good question. They'll be surprised you would even know how to read."

I stare at him blankly for a moment and then sigh. I forgot. I'm a woman. And during this time period, women were not taught to read. Hell, unless you were part of the nobility or of high rank, you didn't know how to read.

Sexist, prejudiced pricks.

"Well, doesn't mean I can't ask."

He laughs and we walk through the gate and look around. Chickens and goats are roaming about the different buildings. There aren't too many monks roaming about right now, but one spots us and comes over. "Hello. Welcome to Lindisfarne monastery. What can I help you with today?"

My eyes grow wide. _'Uh-oh.'_ I look over at the Doctor in alarm, but he seems perfectly calm. In fact, I doubt he knows about this place at all. '_Oh god, what am I going to do?'_

While I have a mini-panic attack, the Doctor continues the conversation with the polite monk, completely oblivious to my rising anxiety. "Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is my companion, Lily O'Shea. We just wanted to come and tour your monastery. We're monastery enthusiasts."

"Enthusiasts?" the monk asks in confusion. It takes all the power in me not to facepalm.

"Oh, well," the Doctor tries to save himself, "we like monasteries. Very fine establishments. We're touring the country visiting different ones, getting a feel and all that."

Great save. I roll my eyes again. I receive an odd look from the monk and immediately lower my eyes to the dirt under my feet. I got to remember this place doesn't exactly look upon women the same way I am used to. Ugh. This will be exhausting.

"Yes," the monk finally says, returning his attention to the Doctor. "You must be very enlightened people and truly care about the true word of God. Would you like for me to show you around?"

"Oh yes. Thank you."

"Just follow me."

I swear, if this guy goes on a "God is great" kick, I am out of here. I have enough people shouting at me in my own time and I don't need to hear it from this guy. Then again, look at where I am at, and I am probably going to hear that speech more than once, from more than one source. Oh joy. I follow the Doctor as we take a few turns and pass some buildings inside the walls. While the Doctor speaks with the monk, I see a hole in the wall where I can see out to sea. I decide to go look out the hole and see if I can see any ships on the horizon. Granted, I don't know what year it is, but we really need to find out. All I see when I look is a storm that seems to be brewing out there. The waves are really choppy and the clouds are hanging quite low to the sea. Looks to be a pretty bad storm coming in.

Oh that can't mean anything good.

I look behind me and head off in the direction that I saw the Doctor and the monk leave in. I see the Doctor's coat flick around a corner leading into the largest stone building in the center of this whole place and follow as quickly as I can. I run up the stairs and grab onto the back of the Doctor's coat. He glances at me before asking, "You okay?"

"Doctor, we might be in trouble."

Right after I say that, there is a loud crack of thunder that sounds from the ocean. He looks up and then back down at me. "You might be right. We might have to stay here until the storm passes. No big deal though. These lovely folks should be more than hospitable." He smiles again and trails after the monk.

"No, Doctor, you don't understand…"

I trail off at the chanting reverberating from the room in front of me. I look inside and see at least twenty men chanting in unison in the room. "This is the prayer room. Us monks come in here at least three times a day to pray to our Lord. It must be done daily, except perhaps on Sunday, when we pray most of the day." He moves on and we follow. I can't help but feel entranced by the chanting. I've always found chants to be quite relaxing and it sometimes helps to listen to some when I am having difficulty sleeping. The things you learn in college.

The monk leads up another flight of stairs. "I'm sorry," I say quietly, so as not to disturb the monks in the alcoves along the staircase. "I didn't get your name."

He looks at me and smiles. "I'm Adam."

"Nice to meet you, Adam."

He smiles and leads us through another door. Through here there are many desks set up and even more monks sitting and taking notes by candlelight. Wait, they're not taking notes… they're copying manuscripts! "This is where we preserve the ancient writings. A single monk can copy one manuscript a year. It's the artwork that takes up so much of the time." He smiles fondly.

"I take it you enjoy doing this?"

"Very much so. I joined a monastery for this very reason. It feels as if I am preserving history."

I smile at him. I know how he feels. I work at a publishing company where I see history being made and preserved every day. It's definitely the best part of the job. The Doctor has moved from the doorway and is looking at some of the manuscripts. Leave it to him to just pick up old (potentially ancient) pieces of papyrus and handle it so carelessly. The monk he is disturbing is glaring at him, but it doesn't seem to faze the Doctor.

"Lily." Once I look at him, he beckons me with his hand while he is still scanning the document currently in his grasp. Once I am there, he continues, "This is a piece from the epic cycle."

My eyes widen. "Wait, the Greek epic cycle? Of which both Homer's 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey' are from? Are you sure it's not one of those?"

"No, this is a separate piece entirely. Perfectly preserved and being copied in a remote, isolated monastery in the middle of nowhere." He looks around for a moment then looks at me.

"Doctor, that was lost. Only Homer's epics remain, not the other five that was a part of it." I think for a second, and my underlying alarm sets off. "Doctor, we really do need to get out of here, and as soon as possible."

"Why?" He sounds a little distracted. Probably trying to figure out if there are more of these lost treasures somewhere in the room.

"Because, it is going to be destroyed. Granted, I don't know what year it is, and that's vitally important, but if my hunch is right, this place is going to be invaded and destroyed soon. And we don't want to be here when that happens."

I suddenly have his entire focus. Good to know he can give it to me when it's important. "What makes you say that?"

"A history class I took in college." I glance around and lower my voice some more. I don't want to cause a panic. "Doctor, this is the first place that gets raided and burned down by a group of people to the East. A group of people that is going to raid this country many more times in the next few centuries. Hell, this group is going to establish Dublin! Doctor, this place is going to be attacked by Vikings. We need to leave."

Right after my short explanation, there is a great blast of light and thunder overhead and the heavens open up. The storm that had been brewing has finally unleashed its fury. The Doctor and I head towards a window and look outside. There is lightening flashing every few seconds and I can't see more than a meter out the window. There is no way we can go outside. Until this storm lets up, we're stuck here.


	16. Chapter 15

**AN: I'm back! Sorry it took so long for me to update. It was the last month of school and I had five exams and ten papers to write. -_- If I never have to write another paper it will be too soon. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Not as long as the others, but pretty important nonetheless. Hopefully updates will be more forth coming but I still have summer classes and work! (I enjoy torturing myself.) **

**Let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since the last one.**

Chapter 15

I'm paranoid, I'll admit it. Exceedingly paranoid. I can't help but stare out the window (a.k.a. hole in the wall) in our tiny room the monks so kindly gave us. The Doctor is out wandering around the building while I sit here, contemplating whether we are going to die tomorrow or not. I really hope not. That would be highly unfortunate.

I'm trying to think back on what I know about the incident here and can't really remember much besides the basic facts. This is the first Viking raid in the British Isles. It was absolutely devastating to the religious community: all of the monks who lived here were killed and the religious relics were stolen away. Considering ten percent of the island's wealth was kept in monasteries at this time, I can only imagine how much was actually stolen. This was when other monasteries and convents realized they were also vulnerable to attack. I think this was one of the reasons knights became so popular and were greatly needed, although I'm not 100% sure on that. Other than that, I really don't know anything else.

Which, of course, is driving me nuts.

Did they attack in the morning? Was it quick, or did they draw it out? Did they use a Trojan horse type of strategy? Or did they use the cover of night to hide their presence? Excuse me while my brain tries to draw me into a panic attack.

I continue to watch the rain pour down and the lightning flash and just grow more anxious. Call me superstitious but I consider this weather a bad omen.

I turn my attention to the door when I hear the Doctor enter our small room, a little more wet than when he left. "This little compound is so great! Not structurally secure really, could use a little reinforcement, especially in the roof. And who thought it was a good idea to have a flat roof? With all this rain it's going to cave in quite quickly and considering the sheer number of relics they are keeping that would be a horrible calamity to happen." He continues ranting along this fashion for a couple more minutes before finally winding down.

"Did you find out what year it is?" I ask, ignoring everything else he was saying. Honestly, the building is going to be burned down. Who cares if the roof might collapse?

"Yep, it's 793AD, Northumbria England. Not the best year ever, but not really horrible."

"Oh great, we're going to die," I say matter-of-factly while I start pacing the room.

"No, we're not," he responds, walking around me and sitting down on the blankets that were provided to us. He watches me pace for a minute or two before he speaks again. "Lily, calm down and come here."

I give him a weak glare. "I'm calm, I'm perfectly calm. I am the picture of calmness." He gives me a disbelieving look before I deflate and do as he asks.

"Lily, we'll leave as soon as the weather lets up and we can see farther than a few paces ahead of us, okay?"

I nod and then blink at him. "Wait. I thought for sure you would want to try and save this place. Why aren't you at least trying?"

"Can't unfortunately. It's a fixed point in time, meaning it's too important for future events to be changed."

"Well, that's just not fair," I say, thinking out loud more than anything. I mean, these people don't deserve to die. They have been nothing but courteous to us since we got here. Not to mention they are naturally peaceful people. I feel like we should at least try to save their lives.

"Well, it is what it is. Now," he says, straightening from his slouched position, "it's time for me to train you up. Fix and fortify those meager shields and have you functioning like a normal human being."

I give him a deadpan glare. I appreciate the help, but no need to insult me. I straighten a little bit too and stare him straight in the eyes. Let the weirdness begin!

"This isn't going to be a process that will automatically fix everything. It will take a long while before we can really make any difference. Until then, if you stay close to me, my influence will help so you aren't overwhelmed by another person's emotions."

I nod in understanding. I didn't really expect this to be a quick fix. After all, I've spent my entire life just building the shields that I do have, and considering they are really weak now I can't imagine I'll get them really strong in one session. I just wish I could. "So, what do we have to do?"

"You have to let me in." I give him a "huh?" look before he understands that I have no idea what he is talking about. "I can, psychically, go inside another person's mind. Look around, get a feel for the place, that type of thing. It's easier if you aren't fighting me."

"So, wait. You're going to go inside my mind and just do whatever you have to do? That's…" I trail off, not sure of the proper adjective. Creepy? Unsettling? Uncomfortable? All of the above.

"I'm not going to be the only person in your head, you know." At my alarmed look he laughs. "I mean you. The process involves drawing you into your own mind. That way, I only see the things you want me to see and nothing more."

I sigh in relief. Okay, I can do that. "Alright, let's do this."

He nods. He places his fingers on my temples, the same as he did back at the school. I close my eyes and let him probe my mind. It's not a painful sensation, but it is uncomfortable. You know that prickly, pins-and-needles sensation you get when your arm or leg or other various body parts gets its feeling back after falling asleep? Now imagine that sensation inside your head. Like I said, uncomfortable.

It's a little disconcerting knowing that this man who is basically a complete stranger is poking around inside my head. I suddenly feel exceedingly vulnerable. If he wanted to, he could poke into any section and look at any thoughts that have ever passed through my mind, ever. I feel like I should be blocking certain sections of my mind to him, like putting a lock on a door, but if I do that I could hinder what he's trying to do. There really shouldn't be another person in my head, it's too weird.

"I know this is a tad odd," he starts. I open my eyes and life an eyebrow at him.

"A tad?"

He nods and gets an unfocused look in his eyes again. "Imagine your mind is a hallway with lots of doors. And close your eyes, it will help."

I roll my eyes and close them, doing as he says. I'm not the most original person ever and that shows now when I need to imagine a hallway. Rather than come up with something of my own, I imagine the TARDIS hallways that I had been exploring this morning. The halls are a simple red in color with golden moldings surrounding each door that seems to stretch on forever. I look at all the doors and give a low whistle. "What's behind all these doors?"

"Your mind. Every thought you've ever had, every memory, every experience you've ever had locked away, waiting for you to find them again."

"Well that's daunting," I mumble, eyeing the door to my right. It has a cloud with rain coming down from it centered on the wood. I have a feeling I know where that door leads. "Where are you anyway?" I ask, tearing my eyes away from _that_ door and staring at the ceiling. "As much fun as it is to talk to air, I would prefer to see where you're going."

"Right here." I whip around at the sudden voice behind me and spy him standing there, hands in his pockets with that stupid grin on his face.

"I'm starting to think you enjoy scaring me." I sag slightly and look back down the hallway. "So what do we got to do?"

"Well, that the fun part." He takes a few steps forward so he is level with me. "We get to look for your inner mind. There is one room in here that is the true center of your mind. That's where we need to go."

"Okay. So, what room is it?"

"You tell me. It's your mind."

I stare at him. Is he joking? Please tell me he's joking.

He's not joking.

"Wait wait wait wait wait," I respond, flailing my arms in a windshield wiper motion. "What do you mean 'You tell me'? Back at the school you were able to jump to my inner mind like it was nothing! Why can't you know?"

"You're not in a situation where you're focusing on protecting your mind. That's usually a subconscious action anyway. Due to the situation we were in before and your focus on your wall, I was able to jump straight there. Now, though, due to lack of danger and your relaxed state—thanks to me, I might add—we have to go the long way." He winks at me and starts walking forward.

I stare at his retreating back and sag even more. "Oh, this is going to take forever."

"Why don't you pick the first door, Lily? It _is_ your mind."

I glare at him and walk towards the door to his left, mumbling about blasé Time Lords the whole way. This door has a pair of wire-rimmed glasses on them. I grab the handle, step into the room, and am promptly dumped back to my grandparents shop sixteen years ago.

Little seven-year-old me is sitting behind the counter on a stool, watching an older man walk around the room behind the counter. The older woman has run upstairs to grab some food. I was busy entertaining myself by staring at all the stuff around me, oblivious to the water dripping off of me and onto the floor. It's storming heavily outside.

The man comes out from the room and drapes a towel over her shoulders. He's a handsome older man with silver hair, brown eyes, a strong chin and laugh lines around his eyes. He is wearing a tweed jacket that covers his maroon button-up shirt and suspenders. He dress pants are tan in color and he is wearing a pair of black dress shoes. He pulls out a pair of wire-rimmed glasses to get a closer look at the girl on the stool. He seems to be at a loss for words. What do you say to a lost little girl who has nowhere to go?

Suddenly I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. From the other side of the shop emerges the woman carrying a tray of sandwiches and cold tea. She is just as pretty as her husband, with long brown hear with streaks of grey running through it. She has calm blue eyes and a mouth that has a tendency to smile. She's wearing a black, white polka-dotted dress with small black heels and a white jacket over it all. She walks calmly to the counter, sets down the tray, and hands the little girl a sandwich.

"Who are they?" the Doctor whispers into my ear. I had almost forgotten he was there.

"My grandparents. William is 61 and Rosemary is 58 now." My heart clenches watching them watch little-me eat. I miss them so much. "This is the evening that they found me."

"What's your name, little one?" Rosemary asks, pushing hair from the little girl's eyes. I feel a ghost of her touch against my own face.

Little me shrugs, still gobbling up the sandwiches. I remember I was really hungry and was paying most of my attention to the food in front of me rather than answering their questions.

Now that I am outside my body (weird), I notice how they look at each other quizzically. "Don't you have a name?" William asks, grabbing the towel I had forgotten on the floor and continued to dry me off. I smile, watching the scene. Even before they had adopted me, they treated me with such kindness.

Now that little-me has finished the sandwich she looks up at William and Rosemary and shakes her head. "Should I have a name?"

William takes off his glasses and puts them on the counter while he rubs his face with the other. Rosemary starts to tear up. I can only imagine what they are thinking. Little-me doesn't understand their reactions so focuses on the glasses in front of her. I watch, smiling, as she grabs them and puts them on, blinking owlishly as she does. William chuckles and plucks them off her face then points out the little clip on the side.

"Ooh! It's so pretty!"

He chuckles again, this time Rosemary joining him. "It's a lily clip. My wife clipped it on my glasses when we were young and I never took it off." At this he looks at Rosemary with a glint in his eyes as little-me takes back the glasses and starts playing with them.

"Well, we can't go around calling you little girl," Rosemary starts. "How would you like being called Lily?"

"Okay," little-me says, still playing with the glasses and not really paying attention.

I blink and we are back in the maroon hallway. I wipe away some curious wetness from my cheeks (I was not crying) while I stare at the closed door in front of me. _'If this is what this journey is going to be about, I don't think I can do it.'_

"Well, what next? I'm particularly curious about the door with a ring, or the books, music notes, flowers…" He continues listing random symbols while he walks away. I stare after him, slightly dumbfounded.

"Aren't you going to ask any questions? I'm sure you have some!"

He turns back to me and just smiles. "Oh of course I do! I've got billions! But technically I'm an intruder inside your mind. I'm not going to poke my nose into anything you don't want to share. That would be rude."

'_Definitely an odd man.'_

He walks back towards me while I smile gratefully. There is actually someone who isn't going to poke around for information that isn't there. After all the doctors I went to go see when I was little, I became pretty wary of anyone who started poking around. I mean, I understand. It's a part of human nature to be curious and I'm probably the biggest oddity of all. I'm just glad someone isn't intentionally poking around.

Granted, this situation basically means he's poking around, but it's the thought that counts.

"I think we should head out," he says, surprising me. "In all honesty, you've done a lot better than I thought you would. Apparently your mind is much more organized than others of your species. Do you meditate?"

I give him a deadpan look. I seriously cannot tell if he's insulting me or not. "No. Can we leave now?"

All I see is his smile before I blink open my eyes, back in the real world. Thunder and lightning is still crashing outside and I can't help but think, _'Thor! Cool it!'_ I look around, trying to get my bearings again. "How long were we out?"

"Oh, no longer than two minutes."

"Two minutes!"

"Yep! Two minutes." He pulls out that sonic screwdriver of his and starts tinkering with some nuts and bolts he pulled out of his coat. I swear, his pockets must be bigger on the inside too. "You know how quickly thoughts and ideas pass through your mind? We're moving at the same pace. We seem to be going at a normal speed because we're in your mind. It's all relative."

"Huh. I get the feeling I'm going to learn a lot with you around." Suddenly I give out a great big yawn and a sudden wave of exhaustion hits me.

"Never a dull moment with me." He smiles and winks at me before turning back to his fiddling. "You should get some sleep. It's going to be an interesting morning."

I yawn as my form of response and lay down, pulling the blanket up across my body. "G'night, Doctor." I watch the lightning flash across the window and allow the sound of the rain to lull me asleep, the constant blue light of the screwdriver soothing me. However, I can't budge the feeling of foreboding that is hanging over the monastery.


	17. Chapter 16

**AN: Updating two days in a row? You can tell it's summer. Sorry, this one is a little shorter, but I thought I would give you guys something to tie you over. I'm going to be gone for the next week and a half, and thus will not be updating. So, here ya go! Let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: You like to depress me, don't you?**

Chapter 16

I wake up to a silent and empty room. I glance out the window and notice the grey, overcast sky. "Ah, England, you never change." I stretch my limbs out and pick myself up off the floor to get a better look outside.

If I could see it.

There is a seriously thick fog clinging to the building and I can't see the beach. My sense of foreboding has intensified. '_Oh, this can't be good.'_ I fold up the blankets and pile them up on the mats, noticing that the Doctor's laid untouched. Does that man—er, Time Lord—ever sleep? I then run outside, down the stairs, and out the door into the courtyard, looking for said Time Lord. I need to find him and get the hell out of here and back to the TARDIS.

I'd prefer not to die today.

I notice Adam walking on the other side of the courtyard, clutching a rosary pretty hard. Maybe he's seen the Doctor? "Hey, Adam!"

He looks up at me and gives me a polite smile. "Ah, good morning, Lily. I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, very well, thank you." Why do all the monks here have to be so nice? I feel bad enough leaving them to the proverbial wolves, but it's even worse now that I know these monks are so damn polite! I give him a friendly smile in return, trying to cover up my thoughts. "Have you seen my friend? I can't seem to find him anywhere."

"No, I haven't seen him, but if I do I'll inform him you are looking for him."

"Thank you! I really appreciate that." I look around me, trying to guess where he might have gone. "I think I'm going to continue looking for him. Thank you again for your hospitality."

He bows his shaved head with a small smile. "You are more than welcome. Good luck." He walks away from me and I can't help but feel a pang in my chest. I don't want him to die, it's just not fair.

I sigh and continue my search for the Doctor. I walk into the building we were shown yesterday and walk through the entire building, thinking maybe he was looking at all the precious documents stored there. After realizing he is not there, I walk through the other buildings on the compound, all of them proving one-by-one to be futile. I'm starting to get a little more panicky as the search stretches on. I walk into the last building and let out a small breath as I spy his spiky hair in one of the pews. We're in the small chapel on the site and the altar has what looks to be some pretty expensive gold goblets. '_The Vikings are going to love that.'_ I walk over to the Doctor and poke his head. "Hey. We need to go."

He looks up at me and I'm suddenly slammed with sadness. I actually have to sit down from the sheer strength of it all. I look at him, concerned. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He stares at me for a second longer then turns his attention back to the altar. "I came down early so I could watch the monks perform morning mass. It'll be the last one they'll ever perform." He pauses for a second, letting it hang in the air for a moment. "You know, I used to have this friend. Oh, she was brilliant. Very snarky, little bit of a spit-fire, mouthy, and cheeky. But she was kind. She fought for people, spoke for them when they couldn't speak for themselves. She saved the universe! For one shining moment, she was the most important woman in the universe. I can't help but imagine what she would say if she was here. In all honesty, she would probably be shouting at me right about now."

I sit there quietly for a moment, letting his sadness and nostalgic depression settle over both of us before finally speaking. "What was her name? An important woman like that deserves to have her name known."

At that he breaks out into his smile again. It's small, but at least it's there. "Donna. Donna Noble."

I chuckle slightly. "Well, if her name is anything to go by, of course she is important." I get a bigger smile. Point for me. "What happened to her?"

The overwhelming sadness is back. Damn. "She forgot me."

"Forgot? How can anyone forget you?"

He glances back at me with sad puppy eyes. I don't like this look. It needs to go away. It's obvious his wounds still haven't healed in the slightest, and he hasn't let himself heal. He blames himself for what happened to her and because of that, he refuses to heal and move on. "It's a long story," he finally answers. "Oh, but she would have loved you. I can only imagine what you two together would have been like."

"Ha! Probably fighting each other one minute, then you the next, then plotting diabolical plans to save the universe, one planet at a time." I give him a playful smile, nudging his shoulder with my own. "Donna Noble and Lily O'Shea! Out to save the worlds!" I roll my eyes. "Can you imagine?"

He smiles back at me and I can feel the depression slowly start to dissipate. I don't think I helped him to start healing, not in the slightest, but at least I was able to draw him out of his crushing depression before it dragged us both down. I know that I can't feel emotions as acutely as was able to before the Doctor's help, but with him… I don't know, it's as if I can feel all of his emotions like they were my own. His has always been different from others, feels everything more acutely. Maybe it's his psychic connection that he has to me that has suddenly made everything more potent? I don't know, but I know I don't want him to be so sad anymore. Maybe (and don't I sound like a love-sick teenage girl?) I can help him in some way, at least start the healing.

I doubt it, but it's at least worth a shot.

I look back to the altar as his depressing attitude is slowly replaced with a peaceful one and contemplate whether I should pray. I've never been big on praying in the past, but now that I am here, in this place with such a large tragedy about to happen, I feel it's appropriate. I lower my head and clasp my hands in front of me and send up a quiet prayer to whoever may be listening. I know we can't save this place, but I hope that these men will not suffer too much, and not for too long. I know it's not much, but that's all I can ask.

While my head is still down, finishing the prayer, a noise is starting to register into my mind. It's quiet, but considering this place is as quiet as a grave I pick up on it right away. I look up and glance towards one of the windows on the side of the church, trying to hone in on the sound. It's… different. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly. The Doctor suddenly stands up and walks over to the windows I was looking at and peers out into the dense fog-covered gate. It's clear from his confusion that he has no idea what it is either.

As the seconds tick by the noise becomes louder and more distinct. If I didn't know any better I would say it sounds like marching, but it's not the right sound. Like, the rhythm of the sound is definitely marching, but the sound is off. Not cloth and leather boots, more like metal. It's too early for metal suits to be popular as knight apparel, and the Vikings could be wearing metal, but only chainmail, nothing more. And besides, there is a type of machinery sound to it, not just metal suits clanking. A type of whirring distinct in modern machinery can be heard amidst the rapid marching, and it's getting louder.

But that's impossible. We're in the eighth century. Machinery doesn't exist until the nineteenth century. What the hell is coming up to the monastery?

The Doctor is plastered to the window, keeping an eye on the gate. However, his confused demeanor quickly changes to alarm faster than I can say, "run."

"Um, Doctor? What's going on?"

He suddenly looks to the doorway and runs towards it. He slams the doors shut and places the crude wooden lock in place (no more than a hunk of wood barring the door). He grabs my hand, yanks me from my place and stuffs us behind the altar hidden by the table. If his emotions didn't put me on high alert before his actions sure did the job. "Doctor?"

He peeks over the side of the table, looking around the room. He's looking for a way out, I can tell. "Well, the situation has changed a bit, Lily. Apparently, the Vikings are the not only people who attacked this place."

"What are you talking about?" I grab the arm of his coat and yank him back down to my level just as soon as the metallic marching has stopped. It sounds like it stopped right inside the gate, almost directly in front of the chapel. Suddenly, I'm afraid to breath. The Doctor creeps back up and looks towards the doors, waiting. I can hear men shouting outside, commanding all the monks to gather in the courtyard. There are a few threats thrown about for added effect as well. Okay, that is probably the Scandinavian invaders. But that does not account for the Doctor's rising apprehension.

I tug on his coat again, reminding him that he hasn't answered my question. He looks back down at me and sighs quietly. I can hear the monks gathering outside the church, murmuring quietly but obeying the word of the armed men. I can sense their gathered fear through the walls, but it's not towards the foreign invaders. It is toward something else. I focus back on the Doctor.

"Doctor?"

"It's the Cyber Men."

And with that, the front doors blast away from their hinges and we are pelted with bits of wood on all sides.


	18. Chapter 17

**AN: I'm back with a new chapter! Yay! Sorry about the long delay, but I've had a major block when it comes to this story... *sigh* But I've broken through and here we are! I know it's short, but it should get back to their usual lengths from here on out. And it just seemed like a good place to stop. **

**Anyway, on with the story! And let me know what you all think!**

**Disclaimer: *stares blankly* You should know this by now... **

Chapter 17

"Since when does the sonic not work on wood?" I whisper angrily to the figure tied up behind me.

"I've been meaning to upgrade it," is the petulant response.

I roll my eyes and take stock of the situation. After the Cyber Men things destroyed the door -and the wall the door resided on (which I find to be a little excessive but, hey, to each their own)-we were promptly taken captive and tied to each other, back-to-back. We couldn't escape through a window because apparently the sonic doesn't work on wood. Considering the glass is encased in wood moldings, and the Doctor refused to jump through the stained glass (on account it is a historical artifact), we were basically sitting ducks. Practically the only thing we could do was hold up our wrists and say "be gentle."

Not my idea of a fun morning.

So, here we are, sitting in the courtyard, with the praying monks, the only ones tied up. Apparently we're dangerous. I'm flattered. I glare as menacingly as I can towards the metal men which probably isn't all that threatening considering my size. But, hey, a girl can try. The Viking men are walking around the perimeter of the group, probably taking stock of how many people are there. Each of us-the Doctor and I-has a Cyber Man in front of us, just looming there. They are ugly looking things, but I got to admit, they are a tad bit imposing.

Okay, so the thing is intimidating, so what? I've been small my whole life. Big is nothing new for me.

"So, what are we supposed to do? Sit here and let those things be intimidating?"

"Well, that could be construed as Plan A," the Doctor replies. "But I really don't think that would be wise to our immediate survival."

'_No shit, Sherlock.'_ "Fine, then what's Plan B?"

"Haven't gotten that far yet."

"Oh, great." Some movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention and I look over to the right. The Viking men have parted to let an older man come through, who I can only assume is the leader of this bunch. He's handsome, for a thirty-something brown-haired, blue-eyed man. His hair is starting to grey around the ears, but he has that rugged look that working in the outdoors can give you. Very muscular too. I watch as he walks up to me and crouches down so we're eye level. His eyes have flecks of grey in them.

"So, what have my men caught this time?" he starts, proving he has a deep voice. He grabs my chin and starts tilting it this way and that. Trying to get a good look at me I guess. So not appreciated.

I jerk my head sharply to get his hand off me and glare at him to the best of my ability. "Don't touch me."

"Ooh, this one's feisty." Some snickers erupt from the men behind him and I turn my glare on them instead. Men. "You haven't done a very good job in breaking your girl here." I can only assume that was directed at the Doctor. Who else would he be talking to?

He stands to his full height and walks around to the Doctor. His calm demeanor leaves room for the lust of the other men to hit me full force. Great. I'm getting a sense of where this is going and I don't like it one bit. I instead focus on the steely, non-emotional being of metal in front of me and pretend I can't feel the other men's emotions beating on all sides.

"So, now I guess the question is, what should we do with the two of you?"

"Oh, well you could always let us and these lovely monks go," suggests the Doctor. As if that would work. "After all, I don't know what else you could possibly do with thirty highly intelligent men, a genius Time Lord, and a girl from London."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that insult," I mumble, but make sure he heard me.

"Oh, don't be so sure. You all could go for a pretty amount of gold in the slave market. Especially if the girl is still a virgin."

I shudder. Yeah, no, ewwwww. "That is none of your damn business."

"What do you get in all of this?" the Doctor pipes up, probably trying to get me to shut up, if the slap he gave my hands is any indication. Le sigh. I guess I have to let him handle this one.

The man suddenly comes back into my line of vision. He starts pacing in front of his men, obviously thinking about the question before giving us an answer. "Territory, gold, and our names forever told by our descendants. We will be remembered by our people as the ones who made it to a land that was only believed to be legend. We will conquer the people here and it shall make our people strong. That is why we do what we do. That is what makes us Viking."

"Yeah, well, don't mean to burst your bubble, but that really doesn't work out," the Doctor says. I smirk. Yep, it really doesn't work out. While the Vikings get a pretty strong hold on Ireland, especially Dublin, they are never quite able to get a hold on England. The English drive them out after a few short centuries, and then shortly after the Viking culture and race dies. It's really quite sad when you think about it. Well, for them anyway. I can't help but root for England currently, especially after meeting these barbarians.

"Anyway, I already knew all of that," he continues in that slightly condescending way that he has. "I was talking to _them_." I crane my head back to see him tilt his head towards the metal man standing guard in front of him. "The Cyber Men have no reason to help the Vikings on this, so I want to know why they are."

"You mean the Giants?" the leader pipes up again. "They are a gift from the gods. They were sent to help us on our quest for greatness. And with them we will be able to do more than we ever dreamed we could."

I look up at the Cyber Man in front of me. Giants, huh? I suppose that would follow with the Norse myth, but giants were always enemies, not allies. And they really aren't that much taller than the men. You really can't call them giant. Granted, from my vantage point, they look freaking huge, but that's beside the point. "That's not answering the question. The Doctor asked them specifically what they were to gain from all of this. Not you." I keep my eyes on the metal being in front of me. "Answer his question."

It finally tilts its head down to look at me with those black holes for eyes. We have a staring contest, but it never answers. It really does act like it is no more than a puppet for the men that stand behind them. It's slightly unnerving. I can't get a reading off of it at all. It's just… nothing. No feeling, no sense of being alive… nothing. This thing could kill me and feel absolutely nothing about doing it. I grip the Doctor's hands in mine just to get a little reassurance. This situation is bad with these things looking over us.

"Enough talking!" the leader suddenly shouts, getting his soldiers to come to attention almost immediately. "Lock the good holy men into one of the bigger halls and make sure they stay there." A group of ten men peel off to follow the orders. That leaves about fifteen for the two of us. Great.

The leader walks over to us again and kneels down in front of me, giving me an appraising look. The emotions rolling off of him immediately have the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention. I grip the Doctor's hands a little tighter, terrified of what I hope would not be coming next. The Doctor holds my hands just as tight. Apprehension washes over me from behind and I know he is thinking along the same lines I am.

Worst fears confirmed.

"Men, take the girl," he says, and my eyes widen. Shit. "Take her to the boats. Make sure she is broken for auction. She will still go for a very pretty price. I'll keep the man with me."

"No!" I shout, jerking away from the men suddenly swarming around me. They untie me from the Doctor and haul me up and over one man's shoulders. I look like a sack of potatoes. I'm still struggling with my hands tied behind my back while I'm being dragged out of the monastery grounds and towards the beach. I can hear the Doctor screaming my name behind me and I'm screaming his name back. The men's laughter is the only sound I hear.


	19. Chapter 18

**AN: Hey look! I've got another chapter out in only two days! . I think it's been two days. It's summer, I don't pay attention to that. lol I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters for the answer. **

Chapter 18

I'm starting to think that travelling with the Doctor was probably a bad idea to my health.

Granted, I probably should have figured that out the second that I found out that he was actually an alien, or when he stopped the She'rai from destroying the school, or when I saw the inside of the TARDIS. I just tend to be stubborn sometimes and when I want to go on a potentially dangerous adventure then by god I'm going to do it.

Okay, so maybe it's not the Doctor I should be pissed at.

After hauling me away from the Doctor and screaming until I'm hoarse, I decide to just stop. The men seem to get some form of pleasure out of it and I just can't give them that satisfaction. While they are dragging me off to what I assume is their boat, I lay there on top of one of their shoulders trying to come up with a way out of this. Without the Doctor's help.

Oh, dear God.

Okay, okay, I'm calm. And I shall remain that way if it kills me. I have to get out of here and out of their grasp before their plan comes to fruition. They may not have said it out loud, but it does not take a brain surgeon to figure out their plans. If their lust isn't any indication then I don't know what is. And now that I'm thinking about it, their emotions are starting to become more prominent in my senses. It must be because I'm getting farther away from the Doctor's influence, thus making emotions more potent. Great. Well, at least I'm too scared and pissed off for their emotions to really take hold over mine. I just have to hang on to that and we'll be okay in that department.

So, keeping fraying emotions in check: check. What the hell is step two?

I pull my head up and look around. We are officially on the beach. My hands are still tied up behind me and without my hands I can't really fight them off. Granted, when they put me down, I can kick and bite, but that will only excite them. They apparently enjoy it when I fight back. So, I'm going to have to trick them somehow into cutting the ties on my hands in which case I can then fight back. But with what? I'm no match for a dozen buff Viking men. Gah! What would the Doctor do in this situation?

Probably something crazy.

Hmm. I can do crazy.

The men swarm onto the ship where I am promptly dropped onto my back near the mast. I grunt as a shooting pain lances up my arms. I refuse to cry out. Hopefully I didn't break anything. I stay laid down, slightly curled up, glaring at all the men standing around in a half circle staring at me. There are some jeers and catcalls, but I decide to ignore them all. I'm choosing instead to take stock of all that is on board the ship and come up with a plan for my brilliant escape while keeping a wary eye on them just standing there, staring at me. I see many shields and a lot of axes and hammers lying around, as well as rope and other ship supplies. Again, before I can attempt to do anything, I need to get my hands freed.

After taking a quick stock of all that is lying around I return my glare back up to the men standing around and lift myself up into a sitting position. I keep my head high. There is no way I am going down without a fight and I fully intend on letting them all know that.

One man steps forward. He can't be much younger than me, maybe nineteen. But he has the eyes of someone much older. Years of hard labor and war will do that to a person. He hunkers down to my level and stares right at me. His emotions are more subdued than the others (thank God). He seems to be really appraising me, trying to get a good look at me. I don't know why, but I hope it's to help me. I could really use some help right now.

"I'm going to give you a choice, girl," he says, ruffling my feathers a little bit. I'm older than he is! My glare intensifies as my response. "You can either shut up and stay tied up so we can take you to our port where you will be sold for a handsome price and hopefully to a kind master, or you can fight us all. Which will it be?"

"Well, both choices suck," I respond, making sure to put as much venom into that statement as I could. "I would prefer you to just let me go. I didn't do anything to you or yours, and neither did those monks! It _is_ possible to visit a foreign land in peace, you know!"

The men start laughing, as if I said something funny. I don't get the joke. I'm not sure I want to know the joke. The boy in front of me grins but says nothing. "Fine. I wish to fight."

I think my anger is giving me more courage than I usually have.

The boy's eyes grow large. I surprised him. I surprised all of them. The laughter ceases, almost as if it had never happened. I look at them all and they just stare at me blankly. "You can't possibly hope to defeat us," the boys mutters, just loud enough for me to hear. "To stand down when you are clearly outmatched is an honorable defeat."

"Liar," I say. "You would rather fall on your axe than to admit defeat to an enemy. You know this to be true."

He nods, acquiescing. "How does a foreigner know of our ways?"

"Who says I'm a foreigner?" Okay, I'm bluffing like hell, but if it works, I don't really care.

He narrows his eyes at me and gives me a closer look. Frankly, I could be Scandinavian. I have some of the features, but I also have features that are distinctly British as well. I have to convince him somehow. "I know your language."

Okay, not really. I'm speaking English. But so are they. Which, of course, makes no sense. I figured the Doctor had something to do with that. But, to them, it may sound like I am speaking their language. So, if it comes across that I know their customs and their language, then maybe they will think I am one of them. Then they'll let me go.

I hope.

"It is true you are familiar with our language." He's trying to decide whether what I say is true or not. I can't help but pray that he believes me.

"What should we do?" one of the other men asks. Apparently the kid here is the ringleader of this bunch. Maybe he's the leader's son. That would make sense.

He continues to stare at me as he comes to a decision. He takes out a small knife and brandishes it in front of me. Oh, great, I'm going to die. I maintain eye contact with him as he moves the knife to the side of my neck. If I'm playing the Viking woman here, then I need to act like one, even when facing death.

Right when I think he's going to slit my throat, he jerks to the left and goes for the ties on my wrists. I can't freaking believe it. He's letting me go! Oh yay!

As soon as the rope snaps free I bring my hands around and rub my wrists where the rope chaffed against my skin. I'm going to have bruises for weeks. I glance up at the boy who is now standing and look at him questioningly. After all, I don't really know what he is doing. He keeps staring at me and I realize something. He's too excited to be letting me go. My attention is stolen by the men behind him shifting their weight and getting in a more defensive stance. My eyes widen in realization.

They still expect me to fight.

Great.

I sigh and slowly pull myself up to a standing position, using the mast behind me as a brace. I stare warily at the trained warriors in front of me and realize just how ass-deep I'm in. I don't know how to fight, let alone against them. Hell, I can't even throw a punch right. If I fight them, I will well and truly die. So, plan two.

The boat is pulled up to shore, so I can't just run for the side and jump off. The men are blocking off the sides so I can't jump off anyway, even if that was an option. I'm going to assume that I have to make the first move, if their stillness is any indication. No weapons whatsoever on me and they all have at least one axe or hammer. Some even have shields. Okay, so no weapons and no escape route. What is my first step in this mess?

Get a weapon. Easy. Simple. And also the most terrifying.

Okay. Deep breath. And run.

I turn tail and run away from them all, surprising a few of them. I grab the first metallic thing I see which happens to be a hammer the size of my head. Yes, it is heavy, but I lift it up and turn to face them all as they charge me. I probably should have grabbed a shield. Too late.

Suddenly a flash of lightening lights up the sky behind me and the thunder is instantaneous overhead. It freezes the men in their tracks and I look up at the overcast clouds. I was _not_ expecting that at all. I look back at the men and they suddenly look and feel very apprehensive. They are backing away from me and lowering their weapons. I lower the hammer a little so it is level with my waist, staring at them like they've lost their minds. I hear mumbles coming from them as they continue to back up as far as they can go. I move forward and they move back faster. So I stop. Another strike of lightening lights up the sky and they cower even more.

What the hell?

"We are sorry," comes a whimper from the back of the group. I narrow my eyes trying to find the source of the voice. Another pipes up, "We did not know you are favored by Thor."

A few apologies come from the group, directed at me and to the god of thunder. I watch as they cower and apologize and the puzzle piece locks into place: because of the lightening flash, they think their god favors me. And because of that, they cannot fight me. Wow.

Thank you, Mother Nature.

I smirk at the increasingly apprehensive group and stalk forward, lifting an axe that I pass on my way to them. I slide the shaft of the hammer down the side of my pants so I can wield the axe in my hand. Time to be the intimidating one in this group. "Now do you all understand the gravity of the situation you have gotten into? You have threatened one favored by Thor. That means great misfortune for you and yours. Unless…" I trail off, watching as they hang off my every word. I'm enjoying this way too much.

"Unless what?"

"Unless you let me go. Or better yet, you help me fetch my companion and let us go on our way. If you do this, your misfortune will be lifted."

A gaggle of nods is my only response and another strike of lightening blasts through the sky. "See? Thor approves of your decision."

I see the relief pass over their faces and smirk even more. Well, it was weird, but it worked. I'm not going to complain. I launch myself over the side of the boat and touch down onto the sandy beach, axe and hammer still in hand. You never know, I might need them. I hear the men trudging along behind me as I march towards the monastery with one thought on my mind.

_'Doctor, please be okay.'_


	20. Chapter 19

**AN: Back with another chapter! This one is a little bit more descriptive than most. I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. **

Chapter 19

Apparently the beach is a lot farther away from the monastery than I thought. It seemed like it didn't really take us that long to get there when I was the hostage, but now that I'm trekking through the sand to get back to the monastery it's taking freaking forever.

And no, the boat didn't move. I asked. I got a lot of laughter from that.

Ask a silly question.

As we are trudging through the weeds at the end of the beach leading up to the hill which the monastery sits on, I keep my eyes locked on the stone buildings and my ears open for the metallic clang of the Cyber Men. I know I was able to get out of my bad situation, but it doesn't mean the Doctor was able to too. Really, I hope he did so we can just get out of here and leave this place to the pages of history. The knot in my stomach is telling me otherwise.

A sudden explosion rocks the earth and tears a yelp from my throat. Yeah, I was _not_ expecting that. I look up and see smoke billowing up from the back of the monastery. "Doctor!" I scream, hoping to hear a response.

Nothing.

I tear up the rest of the slope, leaving the men behind in my wake. While having back-up would be great, getting to the Doctor is more important to me right now. I make it to the top—breathless but successful—and tear across the grounds and through the gates. I look around, noticing that the fire is spreading from the building in the back to the ones in the front. It won't be long and this whole place will be engulfed in flames. I don't see the Doctor or those Cyber men things anywhere. And this is where we were tied up. The monks are missing as well. The only thing I can think to do is to run through this place as quickly as I can to find him. I refuse to leave without him.

I take a few deep breaths trying to calm my erratic heartbeat and then race through the monastery screaming for the Doctor. I run past the chapel still with the gaping hole in the side of the building. It hasn't been touched yet by the flames. The living quarters where the monks sleep is still intact as well. The building where the monks study and copy all the documents just catches fire as I run past. I stop for a moment and watch as the fire tears a path up the side of the building. My heart mourns for all of those documents that are going to be lost forever. This is one of the worst parts of the whole ordeal: knowing that we couldn't save it all. I tear my eyes from the site and continue moving back through the buildings. The one where the Doctor and I stayed the night before is completely engulfed in flames. As is the rest of the buildings back here. All except one.

I don't know what this building is. We were not shown it when we toured through here yesterday. The Doctor thought it was probably where the monks kept the livestock, which makes sense. I head towards this building, dodging debris as it falls from the closely packed buildings and trying not to inhale too much smoke. It's already hard to breathe considering I have been sprinting for the past few minutes. Add the smoke and it's just not a good situation.

As I get closer I am starting to hear… something. I can't make it out. I just hope it means that the Doctor is close. I reach for the door and tug but it won't open. Stopped in my tracks, I stare at the door for a second. I tug on it a little harder, trying to make it budge. Then I push, thinking I was trying to open it the wrong way. It didn't even jerk in my hands. Maybe if I try a window. The noise is louder and I realize it is coming from inside the building. Over the roars of the fire, though, I can't make out what it is.

I find a window on the side of the building and peer inside to see if I can bust it in and climb inside. I freeze, amazed and horrified. All of the monks are in here. Tied up and hanging by their wrists from the rafters. Only their toes can reach the ground. I realize the sound I had been hearing was their cries of pain. I see Adam in the middle of his people, tears streaking down his face. But he's not screaming. It looks as if he is praying. I look around the room and see the leader of the Vikings pacing in front of them. It looks like he is saying something, but the monks are not listening. He then leaves through the door in the back. I move to the back of the building and watch as he walks calmly away to the back of the monastery. That must be where the Doctor is. The Cyber Men must be with him. I take a few steps forward to follow him when I stop. I can't just leave those monks hanging there. I can at least get them down and give them a chance to escape.

I turn around and bolt through the door. The scene isn't any better up close. Some of the men appear to be bleeding from wounds I can't see. Others from their wrists where the rope has cut into them. Many are crying and the screaming is much worse this close. I walk straight up to Adam. He is still praying as I walk up to him. I touch his cheek to get him to open his eyes. He flinches horribly and I take back my hand. "It's just me, Adam. I'm not going to hurt you."

His eyes finally focus on me and he relaxes a little in relief, but not a lot. If he were to relax too much he would put more strain on his arms and shoulders. "Lily, it good to see you are alright." He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He is in too much pain for that.

"Thank you. It's good to be seen." I look up to where he is tied to the rope and wince as his blood falls from his wrists. "I'm going to try and get you down, okay? Do you know if there is a step stool or something I can stand on in here?"

He nods his head to the corner behind me and I see a wooden pail lying on the floor. It's small in width, but pretty deep. It will have to do. I fetch the pail and lie it in front of Adam. I stand on it, using his chest to balance. I would use his shoulders, but that would be causing more pain and I can't do that to him. I reach up and start to try and untangle this knot. I have never seen a knot like this before. Once I get one loop out, there is another to take its place. I gruff in frustration after working on it for a couple minutes and notice that my fingers are starting to go raw. I look down at Adam who's head is at about my shoulders. "Do you have any knives or anything that can cut in here?"

He just shakes his head and I deflate. I don't know if I will be able to get him down. Not without something that can cut.

Or maybe sonic.

Oh, that would be brilliant! I need to get the Doctor! He would be able to get them all down!

I jump down from the pail and look at Adam's questioning eyes. "Here's the plan: I have to get the Doctor. Do you think you all will be able to handle being alone until I can get him back here? I can't promise how long it will take, but I will get him back here." A nod. "Okay." I take a quick look at the others. Some are watching me. Others are locked inside their own minds. "The rest of you need to keep your spirits up. I will get you out of here. I promise." With one final look at Adam I run out of the building.

The fires are still raging all around me but for whatever reason this building is remaining untouched. Some fluke of the wind, I guess. I just hope it lasts. I run down the path that I saw the Viking walk down and hope to find the Doctor sooner rather than later. I hate that I wasn't able to help them myself, but sometimes needing help is a good thing. This way I can get the Doctor and the monks out of here. Win-win situation.

I finally clear the buildings and reach the end of the monastery. Some of the field has also caught fire, but it won't last long. The field isn't dry enough to really help a fire along. At the bottom of the hill is where the Doctor is. Still tied up and kneeling in front of one of the Cyber Men, the other at his back. Both have a type of gun pointed at him. I can only see the back of the Doctor's head so I don't know if he's been hurt or anything. Although his head is bobbing slightly as if he is talking, so that's probably a good sign. I don't like the fact that they are pointing a gun at him.

Bet I can change that.

I take the hammer out and grasp it in both hands. I lost the axe at some point before I got to the monks. Probably dropped it when I was running frantically. I could have really used that earlier. I start running down the hill, headed for the Cyber Man behind the Doctor. No, I do not let out a war cry, although I really want to. I figure discretion is probably best right now. Running full tilt, I swing the hammer into the middle of the Cyber Men. The impact staggers the metal man and even causes a big dent in his armor. The impact helped to stop me in my tracks and I look at the one in front of me, then the one to my side. Both have their full attention on me, guns and all.

Oh, goodie.

I spin the hammer in my hands, trying to look like I know what I'm doing. I really don't have a plan from here. The Doctor is just staring at me. I think that's amazement on his face, but with him I really can't tell. He's probably thinking I'm an idiot. Who knows? I take a couple steps backward so I am level with him. Now we can communicate a little easier.

"Hello, Doctor."

Yes, that was all I could think to say.

"Hello, Lily. Glad to see you're alright. Did you plan that?"

"Nope. Just winging it over here." I watch as the Cyber Man I hit slowly turns to face me fully. "Please tell me you have a plan on how to get out of here."

"Well," he hedges.

"You don't, do you?"

"Not at all."

"Great."

The Cyber Men both take a step towards me and I take one step back. There is no way I can take those things on alone. As I am considering running away, something impacts the Cyber Man I hit in its back. All I can see is a wooden shaft pointing out from its back. I am staring wide-eyed, not quite believing it. I look over at the Doctor. His brows are raised too. Yay for surprises.

The Cyber Man that was hit slowly leans forward then topples to the ground. The ax that was shoved in its back is so deep it cut a lot of its wiring. That's probably why it fell over and is no longer moving. I am okay with that. The other one stares at his fallen comrade then looks up the hill. Just as it tries to raise the gun, a second ax comes flying and takes out its chest. The second cyber man falls as well. The Doctor and I both stare at each other, amazed at the turn of events.

They were easier to take out than I thought they would be.

I look up the hill and see the Vikings that took me coming down the hill, giving each other high-fives and hollering about giant foes and what not. Apparently, they didn't much like the Cyber men either. They come to stand in front of me, still grinning from their success. I'm still astounded that they are even here.

"We have vanquished the giants. You and your companion are now safe."

"Um, thanks," I reply. Aren't I eloquent?

I look back at the Doctor and give him a small smile. He smiles back and stands up. I notice his hands are still tied though. "Oh!" I turn back to the Viking men and give them a smile. "May I please borrow one of your axes. Or if one of you has a knife, that would be better."

One hands me a small—if a knife the size of my forearm is considered small—knife and I slice (very carefully) the rope off of the Doctor's wrists. He rubs them a little bit and then surprises me by enveloping me in a bone-crushing hug. I hug him back just as strong. He will never say it but he very glad that I am okay. He was afraid that I had been killed. I won't tell him just how scared I was too.

Now that I have the Doctor (literally), I can go and get the monks from their prison. One person saved, now to go save the thirty others.

My job as a companion is never done.


End file.
